Method for FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) Combined with FMECA (Failure Mode and Criticality Analysis) on Vessels Focused on Improving Reliability in Pneumatic Equipment Maintenance – A Case Study

Effective maintenance of marine equipment is crucial to increasing ship operability rates. Therefore, it is essential to invest in maintenance to ensure service quality. Developing efficient maintenance that manages the survival of the equipment and minimizes its failure can maximize the quality of services and meet the expectations of companies. Using FTA and FMECA can help assess the system's reliability and identify failures and risks in the project from a vision focused on reliability and criticality. This study aims to propose a method for FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) combined with FMECA (Failure Mode and Criticality Analysis) on vessels focused on improving Reliability in Pneumatic Equipment Maintenance. Through a case study, it demonstrates that the combination of FTA and FMECA can help identify, analyze, evaluate, and treat risks. It identifies and classifies the critical pneumatic equipment of the engine, presenting the failure modes in terms of safety, environment, production losses, and maintenance costs. A case study was conducted on a vessel with a team of experienced stakeholders working together and sharing experiences in elaborating first on the FTA and then the FMECA.

As a result, risks and response actions were identified. One of the risk response actions was the reduction of condensate in the compressed air networks resulting from installing the Air Dryer system, generating savings in engine parts, and increasing the vessel's operability. The study shows that using the Air Dryer helps maintain pneumatic equipment and remove condensate. It was observed that some vessels do not use this system, demonstrating the need for improvements in maintenance and design. The contribution is relevant for maritime support companies in general and the academy. In addition to ensuring the continuous improvement of the maintenance program, its results can serve as a basis for future studies. The study can also impact vessel maintenance processes and help understand performance and safety during operation. Although carried out on a specific vessel, it can be generalized to other vessels and fields of work whose safety is affected by similar risks, resulting in waste, rework, and unnecessary energy consumption. The study may change the practice and thinking of professionals who deal with PFMEA on ships.

Keywords: Air dryer, Equipment maintenance, Condensate, Ships and FMECA.

Download PDF