Safe Operation and Maintenance

The reliability centered maintenance (RCM) -process and the statistics and reliability theory related to this process. Operational organisations and systems. Operation in a life cycle perspective. Type of failures and failure mechanisms in equipment and machinery systems during operation, and impact on efficiency, costs, safety, and the environment. Condition-based maintenance and methods for diagnosis and prognosis. Condition monitoring and inspection methods. Maintenance management, planning and resources. Risk assessment and safety in operation and maintenance planning.

After having completed the course, the students shall be able to utilize methods for achieving safe, cost efficient, and environmental friendly operation of technical systems.

More specifically, this means that the students shall:

• Be able to apply Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) to develop and/or revise maintenance programs for technical systems.
• Have sufficient knowledge to be able to explain, categorize and use essential terms, such as safety, risk, reliability, availability, maintenance, maintenance management, and maintainability.
• Be able to explain the different life cycle phases of a system and the relations, and define requirements to a safe, reliable and maintainable system.
• Be able to explain the technical, human and organizational resources that constitute maintenance management and an efficient operational organization.
• Be able to utilize risk assessment methods in general, and for maintenance planning of technical systems, in particular.
• Be able to calculate life cycle costs for technical systems.
• Understand the importance of learning from accidents and the causal relations between human, technical, and organizational factors.
• Understand failure mechanisms and types of failures for technical systems.
• Have knowledge of the statistical basis for relevant maintenance methods, including methods for maintenance optimization of costs and intervals.
• Understand the principles of condition based maintenance and be able to use relevant methods for diagnosis and prognosis.
• Know techniques for condition monitoring and be able to analyze and assess the need for condition monitoring of a technical system.
• Be able to write project reports and document work and results in a structured, clear and concise manner.

Lectures and conventional assignments. Some/a share of the assignments may be mandatory to pass for admission to the final exam. The course will be taught in English if international students attend.