Failure mode and effect analysis using regret theory and PROMETHEE under linguistic neutrosophic context

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), which aims to identify and assess potential failure modes in a system, has been widely utilized in diverse areas for improving and enhancing the performance of systems due to it is a powerful and useful risk and reliability assessment instrument. However, the conventional FMEA approach has been suffered several criticisms for it has some shortcomings, such as unable to handle ambiguous and uncertain information, neglect the relative weights of risk criteria, and without considering the psychological behaviors of decision-makers. To ameliorate these limitations, this paper aims at establishing a hybrid risk ranking model of FMEA via combing linguistic neutrosophic numbers, regret theory, and PROMETHEE (Preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation) approach. In the presented model, linguistic neutrosophic numbers are adopted to capture decision-makers’ evaluation regarding the failure modes on each risk criterion. A modified PROMETHEE approach based on regret theory is presented to obtain the risk priority of failure modes considering the psychological behaviors of decision-makers. Moreover, a maximizing deviation model and TOPSIS (Technique for order preference similar to ideal solution) are separately applied to derive the weights of risk criteria and decision-makers. Finally, a numerical example relating to the supercritical water gasification system is employed to implement the presented method, and the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model are validated by the results derived from a sensitivity and comparison analysis.     

Pythagorean fuzzy VIKOR-based approach for safety risk assessment in mine industry

Introduction: Underground mining is considered one of the most hazardous industries and is often associated with serious work-related fatalities; this paper addresses job-related hazards and associated risks. Method: A risk assessment approach is proposed (Pythagorean fuzzy environment) and a case study is carried out in an underground copper and zinc mine. Results: Results of the study demonstrate that hazards can be categorized into different risk levels via compromised solutions of the fuzzy approach. Conclusion: The study provides a theoretical contribution by suggesting a Pythagorean fuzzy numbers-based VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (PFVIKOR) approach. Moreover, it contributes to improving overall safety levels of underground mining by considering and advising on the potential hazards of risk management. Practical applications: The proposed approach will improve the existing safety risk assessment mechanism in underground copper and zinc mining.     

充填管道系统失效模式与影响分析(FMEA)及失效影响模糊评估

根据金川矿区充填管道系统的运行情况,结合充填实践经验,建立了充填管道系统的失效模式与影响分析法(FMEA)分析表,得出系统存在10种失效模式。针对FMEA分析表中失效影响存在较大模糊性而难以有效估计的特点,引入模糊评估方法来进行分析。通过该矿区充填管道系统各失效模式产生失效影响的模糊评估,得到不同失效模式对系统可靠性影响的排序结果。结果表明:该方法的评估结果与实际情况比较吻合;可以使分析定量化,有助于工程人员充分利用系统模糊信息;该方法也能用于其他系统失效模式影响的模糊评估。     

A hybrid decision-making approach based on FCM and MOORA for occupational health and safety risk analysis

IntroductionWith the development of industries and increased diversity of their associated hazards, the importance of identifying these hazards and controlling the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks has also dramatically augmented. Currently, there is a serious need for a risk management system to identify and prioritize risks with the aim of providing corrective/preventive measures to minimize the negative consequences of OHS risks. In fact, this system can help the protection of employees’ health and reduction of organizational costs. Method: The present study proposes a hybrid decision-making approach based on the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM), and Multi-Objective Optimization on the basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) for assessing and prioritizing OHS risks. After identifying the risks and determining the values of the risk assessment criteria via the FMEA technique, the attempt is made to determine the weights of criteria based on their causal relationships through FCM and the hybrid learning algorithm. Then, the risk prioritization is carried out using the MOORA method based on the decision matrix (the output of the FMEA) and the weights of the criteria (the output of the FCM). Results: The results from the implementation of the proposed approach in a manufacturing company reveal that the score at issue can overcome some of the drawbacks of the traditional Risk Priority Number (RPN) in the conventional FMEA, including lack of assignment the different relative importance to the assessment criteria, inability to take into account other important management criteria, lack of consideration of causal relationships among criteria, and high dependence of the prioritization on the experts’ opinions, which finally provides a full and distinct risk prioritization.     

基于毕达哥拉斯模糊贝叶斯网络的海底管道泄漏风险分析*

为分析海底管道运行中存在的泄漏风险,提出1种基于毕达哥拉斯模糊数与贝叶斯网络的风险评估模型。首先,通过毕达哥拉斯模糊数转换专家定性评价,拓展专家意见模糊范围;然后,结合主客观组合赋权法,利用毕达哥拉斯梯形爱因斯坦混合几何算子（PTFEHG）实现专家意见的聚合;最后,通过贝叶斯网络的推理与敏感性分析,计算海底管道泄漏风险的失效概率,并辨识关键风险因素。研究结果表明:该方法可以结合专家意见对海底管道泄漏风险进行定量分析,并识别导致泄漏事故的关键风险因素,对海底管道安全管理具有指导意义。     

A fuzzy risk assessment approach for occupational hazards in the construction industry

The techniques in the construction industry have been improved due to the rapid development of science and technology. However, the constructional hazards are not decreased as expected. To reduce or prevent occupational hazards in the construction industry, a fuzzy risk assessment method was proposed to provide a prevention and improvement technique against occupational hazards. This method used two-stage quality function deployment (QFD) tables to represent the relationships among construction items, hazard types and hazard causes. A fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) method was developed to identify important hazard types and hazard causes. Failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) was performed to assess the risk value of hazard causes based on the fuzzy inference approach. The proposed method was applied to a telecom engineering company in southern Taiwan. The performance evaluation result indicated that this method can provide satisfactory risk assessment values of hazard causes and relevant improvement strategies.     

基于安全屏障模型的海上钻完井作业风险分析

海上钻完井作业面临海洋环境恶劣、浅层地质灾害等复杂工况,极易发生油气泄漏、井喷等事故。为有效预防海上钻完井作业事故,提出基于瑞士奶酪模型的安全屏障模型。采用事故树和故障模式及影响分析相结合的方法,分析作业过程风险。该模型根据挪威标准D-010,建立完井作业关井阶段的物理安全屏障和安全屏障控制原理图,在此基础上构建油气泄漏事故树和失效模式与影响分析表,找出关井阶段可能的油气泄漏途径。通过对重要度计算和风险优先度值排序确定作业过程中最薄弱的安全屏障和关键故障模式。结果表明,作业过程中最薄弱的安全屏障是采油树、油管和地面控制井下安全阀(SCSSV),采油树腐蚀、密封失效、油管接头密封失效和SCSSV开关故障是影响作业过程的关键故障模式。     

Mapping safety culture attributes with integrity management program to achieve assessment goals: A framework for oil and gas pipelines industry

Introduction: The safety of oil and gas pipelines is an increasing concern for the public, government regulators, and the industry. A safety management system cannot be efficient without having an effective integrity management program (IMP) and a strong safety culture. IMP is a formal document (policies, planning, scheduling, and technical processes) while safety culture is a measure of views, beliefs, and traditions about safety. For regulatory authorities and O&G companies, assessing the effectiveness of both the IMP and safety culture through regulatory audits is a daunting task with indistinct findings. Method: An integrated framework based on regulatory audits is developed to assess the maturity of safety culture based on IMP efficacy through risk-based approach by using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). The framework focuses on three distinct aspects, the probability of failure occurrence in case of the non-compliance of regulatory and program requirements, severity of non-compliance, and effectiveness of the corrective actions. Results: Program requirements and performance indicators are translated into assessment questions which are grouped into 18 IMP components. Subsequently, these components are linked with four safety culture attributes. Sensitivity analysis revealed that four IMP components, i.e., organizational roles and responsibilities, policy and commitment, risk assessment, and training and competency, significantly affect the safety culture maturity level. Conclusions: Individual assessment of IMP and safety culture in O&G sector consumes extensive time and efforts in the auditing process. The framework facilitates the process by pursuing common criteria between IMP and safety culture. The O&G companies and regulator can prioritize the improvement plans and guidelines using the framework's findings. Practicalapplications:The integrated framework developed in this research will improve the existing assessment mechanism in O&G companies. The framework has been effectively implemented on a case of 17 upstream O&G pipeline-operating companies in the province of British Columbia, Canada.     

Development of novel combustion risk index for flammable liquids based on unsupervised clustering algorithms

Current liquid flammability classification mainly relies on flash point and its risk is largely dependent on consequence and probability. However, combustions of liquefied marine fuels have their uniqueness, leading to a less consistent with the common classification. This work aims at classifying flammable liquids in compression ignition engines for further safety evaluation. Besides liquid flammability characteristics, flame propagation and aerosol formulation are considered. Two unsupervised machine learning clustering algorithms, k-means and spectral clustering, are applied to the collected liquid compounds database. To consider both cluster cohesion and separation, the global mean silhouette value is used to find the optimal number of clusters and to evaluate the clustering performance. The results show that the spectral clustering outperforms k-means on classifying the risk ratings for all proposed models, while the clustering accuracy of the optimal model has been doubled by employing spectral clustering algorithm. Moreover, principal component analysis and star coordinate diagrams are presented to visualize high dimensional data to 2-D graphs. Finally, the overall liquid safety performance is evaluated by a novel combustion risk index via the weight values determined by the information entropy approach. This index can be used to explore inherently safer fuels in the process industries.     

Development of a risk-based maintenance strategy using FMEA for a continuous catalytic reforming plant

Petrochemical facilities and plants require essential ongoing maintenance to ensure high levels of reliability and safety. A risk-based maintenance (RBM) strategy is a useful tool to design a cost-effective maintenance schedule; its objective is to reduce overall risk in the operating facility. In risk assessment of a failure scenario, consequences often have three key features: personnel safety effect, environmental threat and economic loss. In this paper, to quantify the severity of personnel injury and environmental pollution, a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) method is developed using subjective information derived from domain experts. On the basis of failure probability and consequence analysis, the risk is calculated and compared against the known acceptable risk criteria. To facilitate the comparison, a risk index is introduced, and weight factors are determined by an analytic hierarchy process. Finally, the appropriate maintenance tasks are scheduled under the risk constraints. A case study of a continuous catalytic reforming plant is used to illustrate the proposed approach. The results indicate that FMEA is helpful to identify critical facilities; the RBM strategy can increase the reliability of high-risk facilities, and corrective maintenance is the preferred approach for low-risk facilities to reduce maintenance expenditure.     

Integrating lean principles and fuzzy bow-tie analysis for risk assessment in chemical industry

In this research, a framework combining lean manufacturing principles and fuzzy bow-tie analyses is used to assess process risks in chemical industry. Lean manufacturing tools and techniques are widely used for eliminating wastes in manufacturing environments. The five principles of lean (identify value, map the value stream, create flow, establish pull, and seek perfection) are utilized in the risk assessment process. Lean tools such as Fishbone Diagram, and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) are used for risk analysis and mitigation. Lean principles and tools are combined with bow-tie analysis for effective risk assessment process. The uncertainty inherent with the risks is handled using fuzzy logic principles. A case study from a chemical process industry is provided. Main risks and risk factors are identified and analyzed by the risk management team. Fuzzy estimates are obtained for the risk factors and bow-tie analysis is used to calculate the aggregated risk probability and impact. The risks are prioritized using risk priority matrix and mitigation strategies are selected based on FMEA. Results showed that the proposed framework can effectively improve the risk management process in the chemical industry.     

Risk analysis for oil & gas pipelines: A sustainability assessment approach using fuzzy based bow-tie analysis

Vast amounts of oil & gas (O&G) are consumed around the world everyday that are mainly transported and distributed through pipelines. Only in Canada, the total length of O&G pipelines is approximately 100,000 km, which is the third largest in the world. Integrity of these pipelines is of primary interest to O&G companies, consultants, governmental agencies, consumers and other stakeholder due to adverse consequences and heavy financial losses in case of system failure. Fault tree analysis (FTA) and event tree analysis (ETA) are two graphical techniques used to perform risk analysis, where FTA represents causes (likelihood) and ETA represents consequences of a failure event. ‘Bow-tie’ is an approach that integrates a fault tree (on the left side) and an event tree (on the right side) to represent causes, threat (hazards) and consequences in a common platform. Traditional ‘bow-tie’ approach is not able to characterize model uncertainty that arises due to assumption of independence among different risk events. In this paper, in order to deal with vagueness of the data, the fuzzy logic is employed to derive fuzzy probabilities (likelihood) of basic events in fault tree and to estimate fuzzy probabilities (likelihood) of output event consequences. The study also explores how interdependencies among various factors might influence analysis results and introduces fuzzy utility value (FUV) to perform risk assessment for natural gas pipelines using triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability criteria, namely, social, environmental and economical consequences. The present study aims to help owners of transmission and distribution pipeline companies in risk management and decision-making to consider multi-dimensional consequences that may arise from pipeline failures. The research results can help professionals to decide whether and where to take preventive or corrective actions and help informed decision-making in the risk management process. A simple example is used to demonstrate the proposed approach.     

FMEA在乙烯罐区风险分析中的应用研究

详细介绍国际上先进的风险管理方法故障类型和影响分析(FMEA)的评价理论和分析方法。为了能够在系统使用阶段进行故障类型和影响分析(FMEA),并缩减其工作量,对故障源分析过程进行改进,并对乙烯罐区进行FMEA风险评价。对乙烯罐区安全操作中的各种不期望发生事件,潜在的故障类型、故障因素、后果严重度、发生概率及风险等级进行逐个分析,并根据评价结果制定相应的风险削减措施。研究表明,FMEA不仅能保证系统运行过程的可靠性,而且通过研究导致不期望发生事件(事故)的故障源(故障类型),从源头消除故障隐患。     

Integrated framework to optimize RAM and cost decisions in a process plant

The research implications of reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) aspects of engineering systems in recent years have increased substantially due to rising operation and maintenance costs. To strike a balance between the two the paper presents a framework which makes use of both qualitative and quantitative techniques to optimize RAM and cost decisions in a process plant. In the quantitative analysis, the imprecise and vague information regarding the system failure behavior is quantified by using the principles of fuzzy mathematics in terms of fuzzy and crisp values. Further, to manage the system reliability for best economic performance a resource optimization model based on multi-stage decision making (MSDM) has been proposed. The model makes use of crisp output values of unit's reliability along with relevant system information (number of components, manpower, cost ranges). In the qualitative analysis the in-depth analysis of the system is carried out using Root Cause analysis (RCA) and Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA). The ambiguities associated with the traditional FMEA are handled using Fuzzy Decision Making System (FDMS) and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA). The suggested framework has been illustrated with the help of a case.     

A novel Dempster-Shafer theory-based approach with weighted average for failure mode and effects analysis under uncertainty

Risk priority number (RPN) is a commonly-used prioritization method in failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) for systemic reliability and safety study. However, conventional RPN confronts wide criticisms, due to the neglect of the uncertainties of experts' opinions. It is important to handle the conflicts among experts' multi-opinions which could be described in imprecise, incomplete or crisp forms in lack of knowledge. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to alleviate and/or eliminate counter-intuitive behaviors against conflicts among multi-opinions under Dempster-Shafer theory. Firstly, the abnormity test for experts’ opinions is undertaken to identify and discard those distinct judgments. Then, an approach to determining the subjective weights of experts is proposed, which is used in weighted average for multi-opinions before calculating RPNs. Finally, the risk priority evaluation on main engine crankcase explosion failure on-board ship is implemented to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach.     

计算机辅助故障模式影响分析与事件序列图综合分析方法研究

故障模式影响分析(Failure Mode Effect Analysis, FMEA)和事件序列图(Event Sequence Diagram, ESD)是分析系统故障因果关系的两种常用技术,在分别独立应用时,既有各自的优点,也存在着一定的缺陷和不足,主要体现为: FMEA不能展示故障模式到故障后果的推演过程; ESD模型的合理性很大程度上取决于初始事件的确定,而该方法本身不能实现这一功能.本文综合FMEA与ESD的优点,阐述了复杂动态系统FMEA与ESD综合分析的思路,对现有FMEA进行了一定的改进,并进一步分析计算机辅助FMEA和ESD综合方法建模的原理和实现技术.     

3-Parameters SPW technique: A new method for evaluation of target safety integrity level

Introduced by IEC-61508 standard, safety integrity levels (SIL) have been used for assessing the reliability of safety instrumented functions (SIF) for protection of the system under control in abnormal conditions. Different qualitative, semi-qualitative and quantitative methods have been proposed by the standard for establishing target safety integrity levels amongst which “Risk Graph” has gained wide attention due to its simplicity and easy-to-apply characteristics. However, this method is subject to many deficiencies that have forced industry men and experts to modify it to fit their demands. In this paper, a new modification to risk graph parameters has been proposed that adds more flexibility to them and reduces their subjective uncertainties but keeps the method as simple as before. Three parameters, namely severity (S), hazard avoidance probability (P), and demand rate (W) are used instead of former four parameters. Hence, the method is named SPW. The outcome results of this method can be directly converted to probability of failure on demand (PFD) or risk reduction factor (RRF). The proposed method has been tested on an example case that has been studied before with conventional risk graph and LOPA techniques. The results show that new method agrees well with LOPA and reduces costs imposed by conservative approximations assumed during application of conventional risk graph.     

基于DHGF算法和三角模糊数的装备研制风险评价

针对风险管理方法难以对装备研制风险进行有效评价的问题,提出基于DHGF算法和三角模糊数的装备研制风险评价方法。运用德尔菲法建立装备研制风险的综合评价指标体系。基于三角模糊数和层次分析法(AHP)计算评价指标的权重。利用灰色系统理论确定评价灰类,计算灰色评价系数,得出灰色评价权向量和权矩阵。形成综合评判矩阵,进行模糊运算,求得综合评价结果。算例表明,该方法可有效用于装备研制风险的评价。     

FMECA-模糊综合分析法在自旋滑车桥轴风险评价中的应用

FMECA法是一种定性的分析方法,它通过对目标系统下各单元的功能、潜在故障模式、故障原因、故障率及严重性进行分析,找出危险性较高的故障模式和设计中的薄弱环节。模糊综合分析法可以将定性的评价结果以定量的形式表达,但其评价结果具有模糊性。提出了一种将FMECA法与模糊综合分析法相结合的评价方法,既可以减少模糊综合分析评价结果的模糊性,又可以将FMECA法的定性描述以定量的形式表达,使评价结果更加客观、合理。并以大型游乐设施中自旋滑车的桥轴为例,运用FMECA-模糊综合分析法对其进行风险评价,计算结果表明其风险等级较低,与实际检验结果相符。     

基于BWM群决策赋权与FMEA的风险评估方法*

为实现BWM群决策评估结果的有效聚合，构建1种基于输入数据的决策者赋权法。该赋权法基于输入数据的一致性水平，衡量决策者对评估对象的认知程度并确定权重，使BWM能够应用于群决策过程，从而构建基于BWM群决策赋权和FMEA的风险评估法。通过邮轮玻璃幕墙风险评估的实例验证该方法，并通过序数一致性分析方法的有效性。研究结果表明:在客观数据缺乏而依赖专家主观经验评估的情况下，该方法能够降低评估能力较低个体对团队评估结果的影响。