Reliability evaluation of a furnace system using the k-out-of-n and the consecutive-k-out-of-n reliability models

This paper reports an application of the k-out-of-n and the consecutive-k-out-of-n system reliability models in a petro-chemical company. The models are used to represent the relationship between the functioning of the furnace system and its tubes. The remaining life of the furnace system is estimated based on the remaining lives of the tubes. The models are also useful for decision making regarding the optimal furnace replacement time.