Reliability Management and Engineering


Book Description

Reliability technology plays an important role in the present era of industrial growth, optimal efficiency, and reducing hazards. This book provides insights into current advances and developments in reliability engineering, and the research presented is spread across all branches. It discusses interdisciplinary solutions to complex problems using different approaches to save money, time, and manpower. It presents methodologies of coping with uncertainty in reliability optimization through the usage of various techniques such as soft computing, fuzzy optimization, uncertainty, and maintenance scheduling. Case studies and real-world examples are presented along with applications that can be used in practice. This book will be useful to researchers, academicians, and practitioners working in the area of reliability and systems assurance engineering. Provides current advances and developments across different branches of engineering. Reviews and analyses case studies and real-world examples. Presents applications to be used in practice. Includes numerous examples to illustrate theoretical results.




The Little Black Book of Reliability Management


Book Description

Provides much of the information needed to organize a reliability program at a company or in a plant that does not currently have one. Features a simple description of a number of reliability subjects and techniques in a mannerthat readers can easily understand. Describes the data that must be collected and the analysis that should be done at each phase during the lifecycle of a physical asset. Starts the user down the path of collecting data, mapping failures to causes and implementing the elements of a comprehensive reliability program in an order that best serves his needs. Devotes a chapter to pattern recognition and identification of the relationships between identified patterns and failures. Provides real-life examples. Contains examples of documents and spreadsheets needed to apply recommendations at the readers own plants and shops. The Little Black Book of Reliability Management provides the reader with a fresh but comprehensive perspective on the subject of reliability management. It challenges the reader to consider "what he has a right to expect" based on his current reliability programs. And it describes the programs and discipline needed if the reader desires the "right to expect" a higher level of reliability performance. This unique resource is perfect for individuals working in plants and in other organizations that are dependent on the reliability of complex physical assets. Introduction What do you have a right to expect? Patterns and RelationshipsLearning about a Defect Malfunction Reporting DiagnosticsTroubleshooting - Digression Concerning Facts Failure Analysis "Bucketing" Information Analysis Creating a Comprehensive Reliability Program General Comments on Reliability Methods Conclusion Appendix 1: Typical Malfunction Reporting and Defect Analysis System Appendix 2: References for Further Reading




High Reliability Management


Book Description

High Reliability Management is the first book to provide an in-depth and timely look at the people who manage for high reliability--professionals who run critical systems in electricity, water, and transportation. The book tells of the extraordinary challenges that these "reliability professionals" face in ensuring that society's basic systems operate continuously and safely, even in the wake of errors in policy and technical design.




Process Risk and Reliability Management


Book Description

In the last twenty years considerable progress has been made in process risk and reliability management, particularly in regard to regulatory compliance. Many companies are now looking to go beyond mere compliance; they are expanding their process safety management (PSM) programs to improve performance not just in safety, but also in environmental compliance, quality control and overall profitability. Techniques and principles are illustrated with numerous examples from chemical plants, refineries, transportation, pipelines and offshore oil and gas. This book helps executives, managers and technical professionals achieve not only their current PSM goals, but also to make the transition to a broader operational integrity strategy. The book focuses on the energy and process industries- from refineries, to pipelines, chemical plants, transportation, energy and offshore facilities. The techniques described in the book can also be applied to a wide range of non-process industries. The book is both thorough and practical. It discusses theoretical principles in a wide variety of areas such as management of change, risk analysis and incident investigation, and then goes on to show how these principles work in practice, either in the design office or in an operating facility. The second edition has been expanded, revised and updated and many new sections have been added including: The impact of resource limitations, a review of some recent major incidents, the value of story-telling as a means of conveying process safety values and principles, and the impact of the proposed changes to the OSHA PSM standard. Learn how to develop a thorough and complete process safety management program. Go beyond traditional hazards analysis and risk management programs to explore a company's entire range of procedures, processes and management issues. Understand how to develop a culture of process safety and operational excellence that goes beyond simple rule compliance. Develop process safety programs for both onshore facilities (EPA, OSHA) and offshore platforms and rigs (BSEE) and to meet Safety Case requirements.




Quality and Reliability Management and Its Applications


Book Description

Integrating development processes, policies, and reliability predictions from the beginning of the product development lifecycle to ensure high levels of product performance and safety, this book helps companies overcome the challenges posed by increasingly complex systems in today’s competitive marketplace. Examining both research on and practical aspects of product quality and reliability management with an emphasis on applications, the book features contributions written by active researchers and/or experienced practitioners in the field, so as to effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice and address new research challenges in reliability and quality management in practice. Postgraduates, researchers and practitioners in the areas of reliability engineering and management, amongst others, will find the book to offer a state-of-the-art survey of quality and reliability management and practices.




System Reliability Management


Book Description

This book provides the latest research advances in the field of system reliability assurance and engineering. It contains reference material for applications of reliability in system engineering, offering a theoretical sound background with adequate numerical illustrations. Included are concepts pertaining to reliability analysis, assurance techniques and methodologies, tools, and practical applications of system reliability modeling and allocation. The collection discusses various soft computing techniques like artificial intelligence and particle swarm optimization approach for reliability assessment. Importance of differentiating between the optimal release time and testing stop time of the software has been explicitly discussed and presented in the book. Features: Creates understanding of the costs associated with complex systems Covers reliability measurement of engineering systems Incorporates an efficient effort-based expenditure policy incorporating cost and reliability criteria Provides information for optimal testing stop and release time of software system Presents software performance and security layout Addresses reliability prediction and its maintenance through advanced analytics techniques Overall, System Reliability Management: Solutions and Techniques is a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach for better communication of problems and solutions to increase the performance of the system for better utilization and resource management.




Reliability Engineering


Book Description

An Integrated Approach to Product Development Reliability Engineering presents an integrated approach to the design, engineering, and management of reliability activities throughout the life cycle of a product, including concept, research and development, design, manufacturing, assembly, sales, and service. Containing illustrative guides that include worked problems, numerical examples, homework problems, a solutions manual, and class-tested materials, it demonstrates to product development and manufacturing professionals how to distribute key reliability practices throughout an organization. The authors explain how to integrate reliability methods and techniques in the Six Sigma process and Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). They also discuss relationships between warranty and reliability, as well as legal and liability issues. Other topics covered include: Reliability engineering in the 21st Century Probability life distributions for reliability analysis Process control and process capability Failure modes, mechanisms, and effects analysis Health monitoring and prognostics Reliability tests and reliability estimation Reliability Engineering provides a comprehensive list of references on the topics covered in each chapter. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in gaining fundamental knowledge of the practical aspects of reliability in design, manufacturing, and testing. In addition, it is useful for implementation and management of reliability programs.




Site Reliability Engineering


Book Description

The overwhelming majority of a software system’s lifespan is spent in use, not in design or implementation. So, why does conventional wisdom insist that software engineers focus primarily on the design and development of large-scale computing systems? In this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google’s Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world. You’ll learn the principles and practices that enable Google engineers to make systems more scalable, reliable, and efficient—lessons directly applicable to your organization. This book is divided into four sections: Introduction—Learn what site reliability engineering is and why it differs from conventional IT industry practices Principles—Examine the patterns, behaviors, and areas of concern that influence the work of a site reliability engineer (SRE) Practices—Understand the theory and practice of an SRE’s day-to-day work: building and operating large distributed computing systems Management—Explore Google's best practices for training, communication, and meetings that your organization can use




Reliability and Risk


Book Description

The safe and continued functioning of critical infrastructures—such as electricity, natural gas, transportation, and water—is a social imperative. Yet the complex connections between these systems render them increasingly precarious. Furthermore, though we depend so heavily on interconnected infrastructures, we do not fully understand the risks involved in their failure. Emery Roe and Paul R. Schulman argue that designs, policies, and laws often overlook the knowledge and experiences of those who manage these systems on the ground—reliability professionals who have vital insights that would be invaluable to planning. To combat this major blind spot, the athors construct a new theoretical perspective that reveals how to make sense of complex interconnected networks and improve reliability through management, regulation, and political leadership. To illustrate their approach in action, they present a multi-year case study of one of the world's most important "infrastructure crossroads," the San Francisco Bay-Delta. Reliability and Risk advances our understanding of what it takes to ensure the dependability of the intricate—and sometimes hazardous—systems on which we rely every day.




Organizing for Reliability


Book Description

Increasingly, scholars view reliability—the ability to plan for and withstand disaster—as a social construction. However, there is a tendency to evoke this concept only in the face of catastrophes, such as the British Petroleum oil spill or the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. This book frames reliability as a fundamental issue in the study of organizations—one that can also improve day-to-day operations. Bringing together a diverse cast of contributors, it considers how we can account for the ability of some organizations to maintain high reliability and what we can learn from them. The chapters distinguish reliability from related lines of inquiry; take stock of relevant research from different disciplinary perspectives; highlight implications for practice; and identify directions, questions, and priorities for future research. The first of its kind in over twenty years, this volume delivers a dynamic base of shared knowledge and an integrative research agenda at a time when organizational reliability has never been so important.