Author : Gurmej Singh and Sunil Kumar

Ensuring the thermal power plant remains highly reliable necessitates the implementation of a suitable maintenance strategy. This importance is underscored by the intricate composition of the power plant, comprising diverse subsystems interlinked through series or parallel configurations. This paper introduces a novel decision support system designed to prioritize maintenance orders, a crucial aspect for maintaining optimal maintenance operations. Additionally, it explores the Performability Evaluation of a power generation system within a coal-based Thermal Power Plant, employing the Stochastic Petri Nets (SPN) methodology. The modelling process utilized the Licensed Version of Petri GRIF-predicates Software. The study focuses on assessing the long-term availabilities of various subsystems by varying Failure and Repair Rates (FRR) within permissible ranges during the performance modelling of the plant. The research investigates the influence of altering failure and repair rates of subsystems on the overall performance and performability of the power generation system. Furthermore, the impact of varying available repair facilities on the system’s performability is also assessed. This critical analysis aids maintenance engineers in proactively planning the allocation of repair resources for different subsystems, based on the severity of potential failures.

Keywords: Performance Evaluation, Petri Nets, Decision Support System, Maintenance Order Priorities, DSS, Performance Analysis