wise, an aircraft is not allowed to fly and a nuclear plant must be
downpowered or placed completely into a cold shutdown condition
if corrective measures cannot be taken in time. These
requirements are regulatory requirements referred to as the
Minimum Equipment List (MEL) in airline terminology, and the
Technical Specifications (Tech Specs) in the nuclear power
industry.
I introduced the concept of RTF in early 1991 at the nuclear
facility where I was working. At that time, the very phrase of
run-to-failure was anathema within the nuclear industry.
Nuclear power was very far behind the airlines in understanding
equipment reliability. It was not until many years later that
governmental publications governing nuclear power first
acknowledged the acceptability of the run-to-failure concept.
Even today, many plants are struggling to get a firm handle on
identifying exactly what equipment is important to reliability
and how to define that population with respect to a preventive
maintenance strategy. That statement segues into the following
section.
3.9 The Integration of Preventive and
Corrective Maintenance and the
Distinction Between Potentially Critical
and Run-to-Failure Components
A total proactive maintenance plan integrates corrective maintenance
as well as preventive maintenance into its strategy. At
first, this statement may seem startling, but once you think
about it, it becomes quite clear. Let me explain. The ultimate
objective of preventive maintenance is to prevent a consequence
of failure at the plant level. Preventive maintenance tasks are
specified to prevent component failures that have either an
immediate unwanted consequence of failure or the potential for
an unwanted consequence of failure at the plant level.
Other times, we have seen where it is acceptable to allow a
component to run to failure. As we have learned, run-to-failure
components, by definition, have no immediate effect on the plant
when they fail and that therefore preventive maintenance is not
required. However, as stated in our “canon law,” the failure must
Fundamental RCM Concepts Explained 57
downpowered or placed completely into a cold shutdown condition
if corrective measures cannot be taken in time. These
requirements are regulatory requirements referred to as the
Minimum Equipment List (MEL) in airline terminology, and the
Technical Specifications (Tech Specs) in the nuclear power
industry.
I introduced the concept of RTF in early 1991 at the nuclear
facility where I was working. At that time, the very phrase of
run-to-failure was anathema within the nuclear industry.
Nuclear power was very far behind the airlines in understanding
equipment reliability. It was not until many years later that
governmental publications governing nuclear power first
acknowledged the acceptability of the run-to-failure concept.
Even today, many plants are struggling to get a firm handle on
identifying exactly what equipment is important to reliability
and how to define that population with respect to a preventive
maintenance strategy. That statement segues into the following
section.
3.9 The Integration of Preventive and
Corrective Maintenance and the
Distinction Between Potentially Critical
and Run-to-Failure Components
A total proactive maintenance plan integrates corrective maintenance
as well as preventive maintenance into its strategy. At
first, this statement may seem startling, but once you think
about it, it becomes quite clear. Let me explain. The ultimate
objective of preventive maintenance is to prevent a consequence
of failure at the plant level. Preventive maintenance tasks are
specified to prevent component failures that have either an
immediate unwanted consequence of failure or the potential for
an unwanted consequence of failure at the plant level.
Other times, we have seen where it is acceptable to allow a
component to run to failure. As we have learned, run-to-failure
components, by definition, have no immediate effect on the plant
when they fail and that therefore preventive maintenance is not
required. However, as stated in our “canon law,” the failure must
Fundamental RCM Concepts Explained 57
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