Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Hitoshi Kichise

Kazuhiro Saito

Satoshi Nagai

Toshihiro Fujiwara

Mitsuyoshi Okazaki

Kazunari Fujiyama

Hirotsugu Kodama

Shigeru Harada

Seiichi Asatsu

Takayuki Iwahashi

Masanori Minowa

Fumiharu Ishii

Taiji Hirasawa

Taiji Hirawawa

Mamoru Sudo

Kentaro Takagi

Masao Arimura

Yasunari Akikuni

An operation-supporting apparatus includes: an operation request input unit that inputs information relating to operation request items of plant equipment; an operating conditions setting unit that converts operation request input information to operating parameters; an operation history creation unit that creates an operation history by chronologically processing the operating parameters; a breakdown statistics database that stores an event tree of the plant equipment; an event simulator that calculates the degree of unreliability corresponding to the operating parameters, the operation request information, and the operation history information, and in compliance with the event tree; a risk-cost calculation unit that calculates risk-cost by determining the aggregate product of the degrees of unreliability and restoration costs; an operating method determination unit that determines whether operating conditions are suitable by comparing the risk-cost with profit gained by continuing operation; and an operating method specification unit that specifies specific operation conditions for the plant equipment.

Plant apparatus operation support device

The present invention provides a method of inspecting a target component part (e.g., valve casing) of an apparatus (e.g., steam control valve) included in a steam turbine system. When a time period in a range of 24 to 100 hours passes from the shutting-down of the turbine system, or before a temperature of an atmosphere surrounding the component part is lowered to 100&#xb0; C., the width of the opening of the crack formed in the component part or a clearance relating to the component part is measured without disassembling the target component part and an enclosing member (e.g., valve casing) from the apparatus. As the measurement is performed when a thermal stress is induced in the component parts or when the temperature distribution is wide, the risk level of the crack or the clearance is determined accurately.

Steam turbine system inspecting method

Data on inspection, diagnosis, repair and operation histories are entered in a plant-maintenance apparatus for equipment that constitute a plant to be maintained. Failure-event tree breakdown is performed on failures to be expected for the equipment. Unreliability is predicted of at least one starting item in the failure-event tree breakdown. Unreliability of each item in the failure-event tree is calculated based on a failure unreliability function. Unreliability and a cost of recovery from each failure event in the failure-event tree are multiplied and results of the multiplication are accumulated in accordance with the tree breakdown to obtain a recovery cost. Preventive maintenance expenses are calculated for preventing failure events. Maintenance timing and technique are decided through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expenses.

Plant maintenance method and apparatus

An apparatus for maintaining plant equipment incorporates an input unit to receive information on targets and ranges of plant equipment to be maintained and a failure-event tree breakdown unit to perform tree-breakdown on failures to be expected from events to be inspected. A failure-unreliability function calculation unit calculates unreliability of each item in failure-event tree breakdown and a failure-derived monetary loss calculation unit multiplies each unreliability and a cost of recovery from each event in accordance with the failure-event tree breakdown. A preventive maintenance expense calculation unit calculates preventive maintenance expenses for preventing failure events and a maintenance decision-making unit decides maintenance timing and technique through comparison between the recovery cost and the preventive maintenance expense.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa-ken, Japan

Hitoshi Kichise