Cost effective, reliable and accurate maintenance model for SHP plants using RCM

Proper maintenance of small hydropower (SHP) stations is required to extend equipment life time, or at least the mean time to the next failure. While too little or improper maintenance may have very costly consequences, maintenance, too, incurs expenditures and it may not be economical to perform it frequently. Net profit can be increased by reducing maintenance costs, while accurate maintenance actions can sustain continuous and reliable operation of equipment. Maintenance can also consists of replacement by a new component where it is represented by a less costly activity resulting in a limited improvement of the component's condition. Maintenance Methods are divided into categories, where maintenance is performed at fixed intervals or it is carried out as needed. The present paper is aimed to present a reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) methodology for aging hydro power equipment. The RCM has been applied in the fields of aerospace, nuclear power plants and rail system, etc. In this paper, various maintenance models have been discussed which are used to evaluate the fault information, condition improvement by maintenance and determined the effect of maintenance on reliability. They are capable of describing actual processes more realistically, and also facilitate optimisation for maximum reliability at minimal costs. Various techniques, which help to reduce the maintenance cost and optimise the maintenance process, have also been discussed. The limitations of these models and the future potential area which will provide the direction for the research are also discussed.