Abstract
Risk-Based Maintenance, hereinafter referred to as RBM, which has previously been adopted for power generating plants and oil refinery plants, is now being expanded to offshore plants, as well. Qualitative RBM has also been introduced as an element of classification surveys for engines and auxiliary machinery of ships as a type of Reliability Centered Maintenance, hereinafter referred to as RCM. However, it has been difficult to apply RBM to rotating machinery because almost all RBM systems are based upon API581 or ASME CRTD standards which are designed for pressure vessel leakage through holes generated by mechanical damage. Nippon Kaiji Kyokai has developed the world's first RBM system for rotating machinery including the main engines and auxiliary machinery of ships. Utilizing past maintenance data, this RBM system provides risk matrixes and can predict future changes to risk levels for different maintenance methods. One study has been conducted using this RBM system on machinery in a tanker. The results of this study show that RBM evaluation provides a practical and transparent method for developing maintenance plans by determining numerical risk which is calculated by the multiplication of failure probability and the consequences of failures.
