RBLIABILITY MODEL CONSTRUCTION AND EVALUATION IN REPAIRABLE SYSTEMS

This thesis presents some basic techniques of reliability modelling and quantitative evaluation in repairable systems. The Markov approach is utilized to analyze the heat transport pump sub-system in the Bruce generating station of Ontario Hydro and the required state space models under the various assumptions are constructed by a computer program. The system availabilities and the value of spare pumps are evaluated from these models. The effects of permanent and temporary failures on the reliability indices are also examined. The Markov approach cannot be applied directly if the distributions associated with all the system contingencies are not exponentially distributed. Reliability evaluation of a non-Markovian system is usually much more complicated tan that of a Markovian system. A practical non-Markovian technique, the method of stages, is discussed in this thesis and characteristics of several basic stage combinations are presented. The method is applied to a practical system and the results are compared with those of other techniques. The simulation method, which is also popular in reliability evaluation, is illustrated by application to various practical problems. The efficiency of simulation can be improved by developing an accelerated simulation method and an example of this method is presented in this thesis