Availability and cost-centered preventive maintenance scheduling of continuous operating series systems using multi-objective genetic algorithm: A case study

Abstract

This article presents a multi-objective (maximization of availability and minimization of maintenance cost) preventive maintenance (PM) scheduling model for a continuous operating series system (COSS) which do not provide an off-working period for PM. The objective functions are optimized by using a Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA). The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated through a coal-fired boiler-tube. The case study shows that the model can improve the availability along with profound reduction of the maintenance cost, i.e., increases the profit of the plant.

KEYWORDS:

• availability
• reliability
• Weibull distribution
• Maintenance cost
• preventive maintenance scheduling
• continuous operating series system
• genetic algorithm
• coal-fired boiler-tubes