Industrial application of RAM modeling: Development and implementation of a RAM simulation model for the Lexan® plant at GE Industrial, Plastics

A RAM (reliability, availability and maintenance) model has been built for the GE Industrial, Plastics Lexan® plant in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands. It was based on a Reliability Block Diagram with a Monte Carlo simulation engine. The model has been validated against actual plant data from two different sources, and against local expert opinions, resulting in a satisfactory simulation model. The model was used to assess two key decisions that were (to be) made by GE Industrial, Plastics concerning operation and shutdown policies of the plant. The model results showed that the operation and maintenance could be further improved, and that in doing so the annual production loss could be reduced further.