Optimizing the product-based availability of a buffered industrial process

Michael Hamada, Harry F. Martz, Eric C. Berg and Arthur J. Koehler

Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 2006, vol. 91, issue 9, 1039-1048

Abstract: Many industrial processes for discrete consumable products consist of a series (or set) of sequential process operations (or subsystems) which are de-coupled by means of in-process storage buffers. Each subsystem of such a process contains one or more parallel coupled or uncoupled operating lanes. We describe the use of a discrete-event simulation model for determining the availability of such a process. We likewise define and use a genetic algorithm to determine process designs and operating rules that have high availability. A 65-variable example, consisting of four operating subsystems with at most four lanes per subsystem, is used to illustrate the method. The results for this and similar real-world applications indicate that, by applying this methodology, it is possible to design buffered industrial processes having high availability.

Keywords: Genetic algorithm; Availability; Optimization; Availability allocation; Discrete-event simulation; Product-based availability; Buffered process; Buffers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reensy:v:91:y:2006:i:9:p:1039-1048

DOI: 10.1016/j.ress.2005.11.059

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