Enhance Availability through RAM Studies of Operating Facilities
Dr. Qadeer Ahmed | Consulting Reliability Specialist
Saudi Aramco
Reliability, Availability & Maintainability (RAM) modeling is a structured process to evaluate production system’s capabilities both in design and operating phase. The utility of RAM process is far more than only evaluation of production system capabilities. It can be used to evaluate competing technologies, different design options, evaluation of multiple design alternatives etc… This process is based on simulation-based evaluation of the design or operating facility and identifies possible causes of production losses (i.e., culprits, shutdowns, slowdowns, etc.). The modeling also captures asset utilization issues, model system performances and sparing/redundancy requirements. Along with evaluation, RAM model can examine possible alternatives and suggest best alternative to address the issues. The RAM study is thus a tool for decision-making with help for costs versus benefits analysis over the facility life cycle.
This presentation will encompass the RAM process to enhance availability and reliability of the facility. This presentation will explore the data used in the study and how to make sure the correct/quality data is used to predict performance. The discussion will also encompass the possible areas of uncertainty and how to ensure they are addressed properly during the study phase.
A real plant case study will be included to show the real implementation of this RAM study process and its benefits.
ABOUT DR. QADEER: Dr. Qadeer Ahmed has more than 20 years of experience in Reliability Engineering. Areas of expertise includes RAM studies, System Level Reliability Studies, Reliability based Maintenance Optimization, Asset Failure Data Analysis, FMEA, and Root Cause Analysis, etc.
In his role at Saudi Aramco, Dr. Qadeer teaches reliability systems and maintenance courses.
Dr. Qadeer has been featured in 5 international technical publications and is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional (CMRP), Six Sigma Black Belt (SSBB), and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).
