Abstract

Reliability is important in chemical plants for economic and safety reasons. The reliability of a plant depends on the decisions made during the design and construction of the plant as well the maintenance actions performed during the operation of the plant. Reliability theory deals with various analytical aspects of reliability (science, engineering, modeling, optimization, etc). A proper understanding of reliability theory is important for the design and construction of reliable plants and to ensure high reliability during the operation of the plant. The article gives a brief introduction to some basic concepts from reliability theory and discusses areas of interest to chemical engineers. It concludes with an illustrative example from the chemical industry.