Operational analysis and resource management: a case study

The paper discusses the operational analysis and resource allocation in a medium sized thermal power plant, situated in North India. The case study is focused on the coal handling system of the plant. The system consists of three subsystems with two possible states: good and failed. The behaviour of each working unit is analysed on the basis of the collected data. Based on the analysis, appropriate maintenance strategies for different situations have been developed. The quantitative improvement in the system availability thus achieved has been tabulated. Using dynamic programming, the profit analysis and resource allocation of the system is given. Findings of the paper may help the process engineer in taking timely decisions to maintain the system at an optimum availability level within the stipulated constraints.