U.S. patent application number 11/849572 was filed with the patent office on 2008-07-17 for rotation planning apparatus and rotation planning system.
This patent application is currently assigned to HITACHI, LTD.. Invention is credited to Kenji ARAKI, Miyako HOTTA, Yoshitaka KOJIMA, Yoshikazu MORITOMO.
Application Number | 20080172267 11/849572 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28456361 |
Filed Date | 2008-07-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080172267 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HOTTA; Miyako ; et
al. |
July 17, 2008 |
Rotation Planning Apparatus and Rotation Planning System
Abstract
An apparatus or system is used for planning the rotation of part
usage between shafts or plants based at least on schedule
information relating to operation and inspection-purpose shutdown,
attribute information relating to part life, part maintenance
periods, and other part attributes, and part information relating
to the parts to be used in the rotation.
Inventors: |
HOTTA; Miyako; (Hitachi,
JP) ; KOJIMA; Yoshitaka; (Hitachi, JP) ;
ARAKI; Kenji; (Mito, JP) ; MORITOMO; Yoshikazu;
(Hitachi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CROWELL & MORING LLP;INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY GROUP
P.O. BOX 14300
WASHINGTON
DC
20044-4300
US
|
Assignee: |
HITACHI, LTD.
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
28456361 |
Appl. No.: |
11/849572 |
Filed: |
September 4, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10400437 |
Mar 28, 2003 |
7286966 |
|
|
11849572 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.12 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01D 5/005 20130101;
F05D 2230/80 20130101; G05B 2219/32118 20130101; G06Q 10/06
20130101; Y02P 90/02 20151101; Y02P 90/80 20151101; G05B 2219/32306
20130101; G06Q 10/0631 20130101; Y02P 90/14 20151101; Y02P 90/20
20151101; Y02P 90/86 20151101; G06Q 10/06311 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/7 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/00 20060101
G06Q010/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 2, 2002 |
JP |
2002-099478 |
Mar 7, 2003 |
JP |
2003-060780 |
Claims
1. A rotation planning apparatus comprising: an operation planning
means for setting up an operation plan for a plurality of shafts or
plants and outputting the operation plan; and a maintenance plan
means for setting up a maintenance plan based on the operation plan
for the plurality of shafts or plants outputted from the operation
planning means and providing an output for implementing a rotation
plan.
2. The rotation planning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further
comprising: an inspection history storage means for storing
historical damage information of parts at inspections and
outputting the historical damage information; a part history
storage means for storing historical information of the parts, such
as an hour of use of the parts and a kind of carried-out
maintenance, and outputting the historical information; and a
maintenance details estimation means for estimating contents of
maintenance in said operation plan based on the historical damage
information from the inspection history storage means and the
historical information from the part history storage means.
3. The rotation planning apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein
the operation planning means sets up the operation plan also based
on the output of the maintenance plan means.
4. The rotation planning apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further
comprising: an inspection history storage means for storing
historical damage information of parts at inspections and
outputting the historical damage information; a part history
storage means for storing historical information of the parts, such
as an hour of use of the parts and a kind of carried-out
maintenance, and outputting the historical information; and a
maintenance details estimation means for estimating contents of
maintenance in said operation plan based on the historical damage
information from the inspection history storage means and the
historical information from the part history storage means.
5. The rotation planning apparatus as set forth in claim 4, further
comprising display means for displaying at least one of the
historical damage information from the inspection history storage
means and the historical information from the part history storage
means.
6. The rotation planning apparatus as set forth in claim 5, further
comprising a stock control plan setup means for setting up a stock
control plan based on the operation plan.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/400,437, filed Mar. 28, 2003, the entire
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, which in
turn claims the priority of Japanese applications 2002-099478,
filed Apr. 2, 2002, and 2003-060780, filed Mar. 7, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to the planning apparatuses or
planning systems relating to the maintenance (including repair and
replacement) of the parts used in gas turbines or the like.
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] The lives of the parts used in gas turbines or the like,
especially, the lives of high-temperature parts, are determined,
with the deterioration characteristics of the part materials taken
into consideration, as the time over which the parts can withstand
the operation of the gas turbines (that is to say, service life in
the number of hours), and to operate the gas turbines over the time
exceeding the lives of their parts, these parts need to be replaced
with new ones. Also, parts of the types that suffer particularly
significant deterioration require maintenance at fixed hours of
operation, until the parts have reached the respective lives.
[0006] In thermal plants, for example, a scheduled shutdown period
for periodic inspection and other maintenance purposes is provided
for each fixed operating period in order to maintain the normality
of the gas turbines, and the parts constituting various equipment
are to be checked during these periods. During the checks, each
part whose life has been reached or whose service life in the
maintenance period also requires maintenance such as repair or
replacement.
[0007] Up to now, rotation plans have been set up by manual
operations and manual calculation when such a rotation scheme is to
be adopted for operation. However, as described above, since the
maintenance of the high-temperature parts used in gas turbines or
the like needs to be planned considering the maintenance required
at fixed periods, manual planning has been a task very high in
workload.
[0008] Whether the parts are to be repaired or replaced can be
judged from the current information relating to the parts of the
gas turbines and from actual result data relating to the
corresponding plant, and the art for enabling this is disclosed in
Japanese Application Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei
10-196403.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0009] The method disclosed in Japanese Application Patent
Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 10-196403, however, assumes part
repair and replacement plans with respect to one shaft, and this
method is left with problems about the means of allocating a
plurality of parts to a plurality of shafts or plants and planning
the rotation of the parts usage. More specifically, the number of
parts which the person controlling a plurality of shafts or plants
is to stock increases, and this forms one of the problems remaining
unsolved in connection with the prior art mentioned above.
[0010] For these reasons, a first object of the present invention
is to provide the planning apparatuses or planning systems intended
to efficiently set up plans for part usage rotation between a
plurality of shafts or plants.
[0011] A second object of the present invention is to provide a
rotation planning system by which a manufacturer or service
provider who produces the parts of a plurality of plants and/or
performs maintenance operations can not only implement planned
production and manufacture by rapidly understanding the maintenance
(including replacement and repair) plans relating to each plant,
but also conduct more economical production activities and supply
less expensive parts to the user.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0012] A first means for attaining the above first object is
characterized in that the first means comprises: an operation
schedule input section for accepting the input of an operation
schedule relating to at least either of a plurality of shafts or
plants; a part type/attribute input section for accepting the input
of information relating to at least either the types or attributes
of parts; a part information input section for accepting the input
of part information; a part allocation processing section for
allocating parts to an operation schedule relating to at least
either of the foregoing plurality of shafts or plants, in
accordance with the outputs of said operation schedule input
section, said part type/attribute input section, and said part
information input section, and; an allocation establishment judging
section for judging the establishment of the allocation process
from the output of said part allocation processing section.
[0013] Also, a second means for attaining the above first object is
characterized in that the second means comprises: an operation
schedule input section for accepting the input of an operation
schedule relating to at least either of a plurality of shafts or
plants; a part type/attribute input section for accepting the input
of information relating to at least either the types or attributes
of parts; a part information input section for accepting the input
of part information; a part allocation processing section for
allocating parts to an operation schedule relating to at least
either of the foregoing plurality of shafts or plants, in
accordance with the outputs of said operation schedule input
section, said part type/attribute input section, and said part
information input section; an allocation establishment judging
section for judging the establishment of the allocation process
from the output of said part allocation processing section, and; an
evaluation function calculating section for conducting evaluation
calculations based on at least the outputs of said part allocation
processing section and said allocation establishment judging
section.
[0014] In addition, the first or second means is characterized in
that it further has a splitting rule input section for entering
part allocation rules into said part allocation processing
section.
[0015] Furthermore, the second means is characterized in that when
evaluations and calculations are conducted by said evaluation
function calculating section in accordance with the outputs of said
part allocation processing section and said allocation
establishment judging section, the sum of the residual lives of
parts is used as an evaluation function.
[0016] Furthermore, the first or second means is characterized in
that at said part allocation processing section, parts smaller in
part number are allocated in normal ascending order of the starting
date of the operating period of either of said plurality of shafts
or plants, and in that part allocation to one operating period and
the judgment relating to the establishment of the allocation are
continuously conducted to determine the allocation of parts in
normal ascending order of the starting date of the operating
period.
[0017] Besides, the second means is characterized in that a
plurality of operation plans relating to all operating periods for
which the allocation establishment judgment has been established
are set up and in that evaluation data on each operation plan is
calculated by said evaluation function calculating section.
[0018] The means for attaining the above second object is
characterized in that the setup of rotation plans concerning a
plurality of plants is accomplished by connecting each plant and
either of the plurality of means characterized above, by use of a
communications means such as the Internet, and operating the
rotation planning apparatus from each plant via the communications
means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the
rotation planning apparatus pertaining to embodiment 1.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the schedule
information entered via the schedule information input means.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing in a chart format the schedule
information entered via the schedule information input means.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the initial status
of parts 1 to 7.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a process flow diagram explaining the judgment
process of the allocation establishment judging means.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a diagram explaining the flow of processing during
rotation planning by part allocation processing means 4 and
allocation establishment judging means 5.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display by plan
display means 6.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another embodiment of plan
display means 6.
[0027] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the
rotation planning apparatus pertaining to embodiment 2.
[0028] FIG. 10 is a diagram explaining the flow of processing by
evaluation function calculating means 7.
[0029] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of details of
display by the plan display means 6 pertaining to embodiment 2.
[0030] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the outline of the system
employing a rotation planning apparatus.
[0031] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
rotation planning apparatus pertaining to embodiment 4.
[0032] FIG. 14 is a diagram explaining the flow of processing in
embodiment 4.
[0033] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
operation planning system pertaining to embodiment 5.
[0034] FIG. 16 is a diagram explaining an embodiment of maintenance
plan setup means 162.
[0035] FIG. 17 is a diagram explaining another embodiment of
maintenance plan setup means 162.
[0036] FIG. 18 is a diagram explaining the flow of processing by
maintenance plan setup means 162.
[0037] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
operation planning system pertaining to embodiment 6.
[0038] FIG. 20 is a diagram explaining the flow of processing by
maintenance details estimation means 222.
[0039] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
operation planning system pertaining to embodiment 7.
[0040] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of display in order
to explain an embodiment of history reference means 240.
[0041] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
operation planning system pertaining to embodiment 8.
[0042] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of the
operation planning system pertaining to embodiment 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] The rotation planning methods and rotation planning
apparatuses pertaining to the present invention are described below
using FIGS. 1 to 24.
Embodiment 1
[0044] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the rotation planning apparatus pertaining
to the present embodiment. The rotation planning apparatus
pertaining to the present embodiment conducts the processes by use
of the plurality of means shown in FIG. 1. First, the present
embodiment is outlined using FIG. 1.
[0045] The processes shown in FIG. 1 use at least an operation
schedule input means 1, a part type/attribute input means 2, a part
information input means 3, a part allocation processing means 4, an
allocation establishment judging means 5, and a plan display means
6. Although, in the present application specification, each of
these means is assigned a name for the convenience of description,
as long as the processes outlined below are performed, the present
invention is not limited by the names of the processing means. In
the present embodiment, the operation schedule input means 1
accepts the input of the schedule information relating to the
operation and inspection-purpose shutdown of the plurality of
shafts or plants whose operation is to be planned, and then sends
the corresponding information to the part allocation processing
means. The part type/attribute input means 2 accepts the input
relating to the life, the maintenance period required, and other
attributes of each part that have been predetermined according to
the particular type of part, and then sends the corresponding
information to the part allocation processing means 4. The part
information input means 3 accepts the input of initial status
information on the operational status existing during the start of
rotation planning for the parts whose usage is to be rotated, and
on the operational status existing for each operation time count,
and then sends the corresponding information to the part allocation
processing means 4. The part allocation processing means 4
allocates the appropriate parts to the information on the operating
periods of each shaft or plant that has been received from the
operation schedule input means 1, in accordance with the attribute
information of each part that has been received from the part
type/attribute input means 2, and with the initial status
information that has been received from the part information input
means 3. The operating periods of each shaft or plant can also be
calculated from directly entered information or from the scheduled
shutdown periods that have been entered for each shaft or plant.
The allocation establishment judging means 5 accepts the input of
the results of the allocation executed by the part allocation
processing means 4, and then judges the presence/absence of
discrepancies in the operation plan. The plan display means 6
displays allocation establishment information based on the process
that has been performed by the allocation establishment judging
means 5. For example, the part allocations in the rotation plan,
the total operation time of each part, and the time when the part
is to undergo maintenance such as replacement, are displayed on a
display screen or the like.
[0046] Next, details of the present embodiment are described below
using FIGS. 1 to 8. This description assumes a single-stage rotor
blade as an example of the part type, and shows an example in which
the use of seven such parts is to be rotated for a gas turbine
equipped with four shafts. In an actual single-stage rotor blade,
the plurality of independent parts in the rotor blade are handled
as one set built into the rotor. The parts 1, 2, etc. called in
this description, however, shall each refer to one set of parts for
the sake of simplicity. Similarly, hereinafter, the other types of
parts to be assembled as one set into one shaft, are also handled
as one part. In addition, although the term "operation time" is
used throughout the remainder of this SPECIFICATION, this term can
be directly substituted for the "equivalent operation time"
converted from a previously set coefficient with the operating load
taken into consideration. Even in this detailed description, the
present embodiment is not limited by the number of shafts or parts
used in the corresponding gas turbine.
[0047] The operation schedule input means 1 accepts the input of
the schedule information relating to the operation and
inspection-purpose shutdown of the plurality of shafts or plants
whose operation is to be planned, and then sends the corresponding
information to the part allocation processing means. An example of
entered schedule information is shown in FIG. 2.
[0048] FIG. 2 shows schedule information relating to
inspection-purpose shutdown (scheduled shutdown), and listed under
columns 21, 22, 23, and 24 are the names of the shafts to undergo
scheduled shutdown, the names of the scheduled shutdown processes,
the starting dates of the scheduled shutdown processes, and the
ending dates thereof, respectively.
[0049] FIG. 3 is a re-representation of the above schedule
information, based on the information of FIG. 2, and a timebase and
the name of the shaft are shown on the horizontal axis and the
vertical axis, respectively. Here, if operation is to be continued
except during shutdown periods, the operating period 1 of shaft 1,
for example, ranges from April 6, namely, the day after the ending
date of scheduled shutdown process 1, to July 4, namely, the day
before the starting date of scheduled shutdown process 5. Hereby,
such schedule information as shown in FIG. 3 can be obtained.
[0050] The part type/attribute input means 2 accepts the input
relating to the life, the maintenance period required, the costs
required for maintenance, and other attributes of each part that
have been predetermined according to the particular type of part,
and then sends the corresponding information to the part allocation
processing means 4. The attributes entered here are those
determined by the types of parts, such as combustor parts, rotor
blades, or shrouds, and in terms of rotation planning procedure,
attribute data becomes one of restrictions on operation planning.
The attribute input items in this case include, for example: (1)
part life, (2) for the parts that require maintenance, the service
life of each part between maintenance operations that denotes the
continuous operating period required for maintenance, (3) the
maintenance period that denotes the period required for
maintenance, and so on.
[0051] The part information input means 3 accepts the input of
information on the initial status of the parts whose usage is to be
rotated, such as the operational status of these parts during the
start of rotation planning and for each operation time count, and
then sends the corresponding information to the part allocation
processing means 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of the initial status
of parts 1 to 7.
[0052] Listed under the columns 41, 42, 43, and 44 of FIG. 4 are
part numbers, the operational status during the start of rotation
planning, the total operation time during the start of rotation
planning, and the cumulative operation time at up to the previous
maintenance, during the start of rotation planning, respectively.
The current operational status listed under column 43 denotes that
either shaft or plant is either in operation, under maintenance, or
has been disused by replacement to a spare.
[0053] The part allocation processing means 4 allocates the
appropriate parts to the information on the operating periods of
each shaft or plant that has been received from the operation
schedule input means 1, in accordance with the attribute
information of each part that has been received from the part
type/attribute input means 2, and with the initial status
information that has been received from the part information input
means 3. That is to say, rotation in the periods that have been
entered from the operation schedule input means 1 is planned on the
basis of the inputs from the part type/attribute input means 2 and
the part information input means 3. Rotation planning is described
in further detail below using FIG. 3. In the operating periods 31
to 38 in FIG. 3 that are determined by the scheduled shutdown
periods and other information entered from the operation schedule
input means 1, the parts shown in FIG. 4 are allocated as the parts
that are to be actually used. The part allocation processing means
may repeat the part allocation process according to the particular
output of the allocation establishment judging means 5. Checking
whether parts have been allocated to all entered operating periods
is another function of the part allocation processing means.
[0054] The allocation establishment judging means 5 accepts the
input of the results of the allocation executed by the part
allocation processing means 4, and then judges the presence/absence
of discrepancies in the operation plan. More specifically, the
allocation establishment judging means judges whether the parts
that have been allocated by the part allocation processing means 4
can be put into operation during the allocated operating periods.
Judgment conditions include:
[0055] (1) Whether the part is kept as a spare during the operating
period to which that part has been allocated (Whether the part is
assembled into either shaft or is under maintenance)
[0056] (2) Whether the sum of the operating period to which the
part has been allocated, and the total operation time of the part,
namely, the value obtained by adding both, is in excess of the life
of that part in the number of hours
[0057] (3) If the part requires maintenance at fixed periods,
whether the sum of the operating period to which the part has been
allocated, and the cumulative operation time of the part at up to
the previous maintenance, namely, the value obtained by adding
both, is in excess of the maintenance-period service life of that
part in the number of hours.
[0058] When it is judged from these conditions that operation is
possible, the allocation establishment judging means 5 judges part
allocation to have been established.
[0059] Here, the judgment process of the allocation establishment
judging means 5 is described in further detail below using the
process flow diagram of FIG. 5. This diagram shows an example in
which the allocation establishment judging processes are performed
on part I with respect to operating period "k" in the case that
part I is already allocated to operating period "j".
[0060] First, process 51 is performed to calculate the total
operation time of part I at the end of the operating period "k".
The calculation can be conducted by adding the operation time of
the operating period "k" to the total operation time of part I at
the end of the operating period "j". The total operation time of
part I at the end of the operating period "j" can likewise be
calculated by adding the total operation time existing at the start
of rotation planning (see FIG. 4), and the residual period from the
start thereof to the end of the operating period "j". Of course,
the above calculation can likewise be conducted by entering the
total operation time of part I at the start of the operating period
"j" and then adding the operation time of the operating period
"j".
[0061] Process 52 is performed to calculate the after-maintenance
operation time of part I existing at the end of the operating
period "k". This number of hours can be calculated by storing the
operation time of part I existing at the previous maintenance, into
a memory, and then subtracting this value from the total operation
time of part I that was calculated in process 51. Process 52 is
required only for the types of parts that require maintenance at
fixed time periods.
[0062] Process 53 is performed to judge whether the part I is a
spare at the start of the operating period "k". This judgment
process is intended to judge that the other operating periods to
which the part I has been allocated do not overlap the operating
period "k".
[0063] Process 54 is performed to judge whether the part I requires
maintenance at the start of the operating period "k". More
specifically, whether the part is of the type which requires
maintenance at fixed time periods, and whether the
after-maintenance operation time of part I that was calculated in
process 52 is longer than the service life of the part between
maintenance operations are the criteria for the above judgment.
When the after-maintenance operation time of part I is longer than
its service life between maintenance operations, since the
allocation of part I to operating period "k" causes the service
life of the part between maintenance operations to be exceeded, a
maintenance period must be provided in front of operating period
"k". For the parts that require maintenance each time the shaft or
the plant is shut down for inspection, the judgment results in this
process unconditionally become "Yes" (maintenance required),
irrespective of the operating period. Conversely, for the parts
that do not require maintenance, judgment results become "No" and
the sequence skips to process 58.
[0064] In process 55, maintenance is set in front of the operating
period "k" of part I, on the basis of the judgment results in
process 54.
[0065] When it is judged in process 54 that maintenance needs to be
set in front of the operating period "k", it will be further judged
in process 56 whether the maintenance of part I will have been
completed by the starting date of the operating period "k". In this
judgment process, it is to be confirmed that the period from the
end of the operating period "j" to which the part I has been
allocated, to the start of the operating period "k", is longer than
the period required for the maintenance of the part I. If judgment
results are "Yes" (maintenance required), the sequence skips to
process 58, and if the results are "No", the sequence proceeds to
process 57. In the latter case, that is to say, if, in process 56,
the maintenance period required cannot be provided in front of the
operating period "k", since this does not satisfy the operational
restrictions of the part I, it will be judged in process 57 that
part I cannot be allocated to operating period "k", and appropriate
processing will correspondingly occur. Hereby, the allocation of
part I to the operating period will be terminated.
[0066] In process 58, it is judged whether the total operation time
of part I that was calculated in process 51 is shorter than the
life of the part. More specifically, it is judged whether the life
of part I is exceeded as a result of its use in operating period
"k". If the life is exceeded, the sequence proceeds to process 59.
If the life is not exceeded, the sequence skips to process 60.
Since it is judged in process 58 that if part I is used in
operating period "k", the life of the part will be exceeded, it is
judged in process 59 that after part I has been changed for another
part, the new part I can be allocated to operating period "k".
Hereby, the allocation of part I to operating period "k" is
terminated.
[0067] Process 60 is performed only when it is judged whether the
life of part I is not exceeded as a result of its use in operating
period "k". When process 60 is completed, therefore, since this
means that part I satisfies all the above conditions, it is judged
that part I can be allocated to operating period "k". Hereby, the
allocation of part I to operating period "k" is completed.
[0068] Since the processes exemplified in FIG. 5 are performed in
this way, it is possible not only to judge whether the allocation
of parts by the part allocation processing section is actually
possible, but also to judge, from the life of each part and its
service life between maintenance operations, whether the repair,
replacement, or other maintenance operations that precede the
operating period of each part need to be performed. In addition, it
is possible to determine the replacement or maintenance timing of
the parts which require replacement or maintenance, and to set up
efficient rotation plans.
[0069] Of course, the invention pertaining to the present
application is not limited by the above restrictions. For example,
if there are other restrictions such as those dictating that the
same parts should not be used for the same shaft, it is possible to
set the allocation of the parts satisfying these restrictions, and
to set up efficient rotation plans, by adding the corresponding
restrictions to the judgment results of the allocation
establishment judging means 5 as required.
[0070] Next, the flow of rotation-planning processes by part
allocation processing means 4 and allocation establishment judging
means 5 is described using FIG. 6.
[0071] The process flow diagram of FIG. 6 assumes the setup of a
rotation plan for the case that when a plurality of shafts have
independent operating periods (see FIG. 3), parts are to be
allocated to the respective operating periods. Of all processes
shown in the figure, only processes 61, 62, 64, 65, and 66 boxed
with a discontinuous line in the figure are performed by part
allocation processing means 4. Although not shown in the figure,
process 63 is performed by allocation establishment judging means
5. In the present embodiment, for the convenience of explanation,
operating periods are numbered "1", "2", etc. in normal ascending
order of the starting date of the operating period.
[0072] In process 61, counter K of the operating period is
initialized to 1.
[0073] In process 62, any part I is allocated to operating period
"k" by part allocation processing means 4.
[0074] In process 63, judgments on allocation establishment are
conducted by allocation establishment judging means 5. Process 63
is one of the processes described above using FIG. 5.
[0075] In process 64, it is judged whether the allocation to
operating period "k" has been established as a result of the
judgment in process 63. If the allocation has been established, the
sequence proceeds to process 65, and if the allocation has not been
established, the sequence returns to process 62.
[0076] In process 65, the counter of the operating period "k" to
which the part is to be allocated undergoes data processing based
on the allocation establishment judgment results with respect to
operating period "k".
[0077] In process 66, it is judged whether the value of the
operating period counter K has exceeded the number of operating
periods for which the rotation plan is to be established. If the
value of the counter K has exceeded the number of operating
periods, processing is completed since allocation to all operating
periods is regarded as having been completed. If the counter value
is less than the number of operating periods, since allocation is
not completed, the sequence returns to process 62 and then process
62 onward is repeated.
[0078] A rotation plan that satisfies the operational restrictions
of the corresponding part type can be set up by performing the
above processes.
[0079] What type of rotation plan can be set up through the
processes shown in FIG. 6 depends on the operation of the part
allocation processing means 4, and various rotation plan can be
established. For example, the rules of allocation by part
allocation processing means 4 can be set in a variety of forms,
including a format in which, for example, when the allocation rules
are set in normal ascending order of the part number, part
allocation processing means 4 can establish a rotation plan with
higher priority being assigned in order of the part number, namely,
with priority being assigned to parts 1, 2, 3, etc. in that order.
Or the rules can be set so that parts are allocated preferentially
in normal ascending order of the length of residual part life or in
descending order thereof or in order of the less significant
difference between residual part life and the operating period. Or
random allocation without rules is also possible. These allocation
rules (including the evaluation data desired by the user) can be
assigned by being entered from a splitting rule input means (not
shown in the figure) into the part allocation processing means.
[0080] Next, plan display means 6 is described. The plan display
means 6 displays allocation establishment information based on the
process that has been performed by the allocation establishment
judging means 5. For example, the part allocations in the rotation
plan, the total operation time of each part, and the time when the
part is to undergo maintenance such as replacement, are displayed
on a display screen or the like.
[0081] An example of display by plan display means 6 is shown in
FIG. 7. The horizontal axis in FIG. 7 is a timebase, and in the
upper row of the vertical axis are displayed the scheduled
inspection-purpose shutdown and operating periods that have been
entered into operation schedule input section 1 for each shaft, and
in the lower row of the vertical axis are displayed the rotation
cycles of the parts which have been allocated as a result of
rotation planning. Numerals 71 to 78 in FIG. 7 denote the operating
periods required for the allocation of the parts, and numerals 71a
to 78a in FIG. 7 denote the rotation plans that have been set up
for each part. The example in FIG. 7 indicates that numeral 71a is
assigned to operating period 1 shown as 71, and numeral 72a, to
operating period 2 shown as 72. Other information displayed by plan
display means 6 includes the time of maintenance or replacement
that is determined by allocation establishment judging means 5.
Numerals 79 and 80, for example, denote maintenance periods, and
numerals 81 to 83 each denote the time of part replacement. Since
the total operation time of each part is calculated by allocation
establishment judging means 5, the total operation time of the
corresponding part at its replacement can also be displayed.
[0082] Not only a function that refers to the results, but also a
function that introduces on-screen changes in displayed rotation
plans in a dialog format and refers to the results in that screen
mode can be added as the functions of the plan display means 6.
These functions are described below using more specific
examples.
[0083] FIG. 8 is an example of a display screen mode relating to an
established rotation plan, and the arrow shown by numeral 111 in
FIG. 8 denotes a pointing device, such as mouse, that enables the
selection of any position on the screen.
[0084] For example, it is possible, by using the pointing device,
to select line 112 which denotes the ending date of scheduled
shutdown process 6, from the schedule information displayed on the
screen, and move the position of the ending date to the left or the
right. After being moved, when line 112 has its position defined,
the ending date of scheduled shutdown process 6 can be regarded as
having been changed to, for example, the date denoted by numeral
112a. When the change operations on the above schedule are
accepted, items related to the ending date of scheduled shutdown
process 6 that is shown as line 112 in the displayed rotation plan
will also be correspondingly modified. In this example, items
related to the ending date of scheduled shutdown process 6 are the
schedule shown as the numeral 113 denoting the starting date of use
of part 4 for a shaft 2, and the total operation time (denoted by
numeral 113) of part 4 that is changed by the change of the
schedule. More specifically, when schedule 112 is changed to a
schedule 112a, the ending date denoted by numeral 113 will be moved
to the position of numeral 113a which denotes the same date, then
the differential total operation time derived from the difference
between the values shown as 113 and 113a will be calculated, and
the calculated value will be displayed as the value denoted by
numeral 115.
[0085] In this way, in the plan display section, modification
results can also be displayed according to the particular schedule
changes from the user by linking, beforehand, all date information
represented by the vertical lines on the display screen, to the
other dates on the display screen and the operation information
calculated from dates. In addition, it is possible to re-enter
information into operation schedule input means 1 on the basis of
the change using the pointing device, re-establish a rotation plan,
and display the results.
[0086] In this example of screen display, arrow 114 in FIG. 8
indicates the range in which the date denoted by numeral 113 can be
changed. If this range is overstepped, since the operating period
will overlap other operating periods of part 4, the corresponding
operation plan will not be established. In order to prevent this
from occurring, it is also possible to determine the modification
range for each schedule so that operation is established, and to
add such a function that activates an alarm buzzer in case of the
determined range being overstepped.
[0087] Although an example of making schedule changes by mouse
operations has been described in the present embodiment, the
embodiment is not always limited by this example; it is also
possible to use other methods such as selecting schedules and then
updating dates.
[0088] It becomes possible, by configuring the present invention as
described above, to set up rotation plans relating to the use of
the spare parts consisting of the number of shafts and an "n"
number of parts, for a plurality of shafts, and display the
results. Also, the person controlling a plurality of shafts can
operate each shaft efficiently with a smaller number of parts, and
loads associated with rotation planning can be significantly
reduced.
Embodiment 2
[0089] Next, a second embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0090] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the rotation planning apparatus pertaining
to the present embodiment. The block diagram of FIG. 9 shows the
apparatus configuration having an evaluation function calculating
means 7 added between the allocation establishment judging means 5
and plan display means 6 shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1.
[0091] The evaluation function calculating means 7 performs
evaluation data calculations on the rotation plans that have been
set up via part allocation processing means 4 and allocation
establishment judging means 5. The use of the invention pertaining
to the present application enables a plurality of part rotation
plans to be established. When a plurality of plans are present,
evaluation data for evaluating which plan is better is required. In
evaluation function calculating means 7, therefore, evaluation data
calculations are performed on established rotation plans and then
each calculated evaluation value is displayed at plan display means
6 to enable the user to refer to the evaluation data for the
respective plans and automatically or manually select the plans
that seem to be better. Also, the rotation plan having the best
evaluation data in the system can be selected and displayed at plan
display means 6.
[0092] The sum total of the residual lives of parts in the case of
part replacement, the sum total of the costs required for
maintenance, and other factors can be used as evaluation functions.
Of course, since the factors to which importance is to be attached
may vary from user to user, it is also possible for the user to
provide a plurality of evaluation functions and select any
function.
[0093] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the evaluation function calculating means 7
of the rotation planning apparatus pertaining to the present
embodiment. Description of the processes 61 to 66 shown in FIG. 10
is omitted since these processes are the same as those described in
FIG. 6. Of all processes shown in FIG. 10, only processes 61, 62,
64, 65, and 66 boxed with a discontinuous line in the figure are
performed by part allocation processing means 4. Although not shown
in the figure, process 63 is performed by allocation establishment
judging means 5. Processes 91, 92, and 93 are performed by
evaluation function calculating means 7.
[0094] Process 91 is an evaluation function calculating process
using the function of evaluation function calculating means 7, and
this evaluation function calculating process is performed on the
rotation plan that was set up in processes 61 to 66.
[0095] In process 92, the rotation plans that were set up during
processes 61 to 63, and the evaluation functions that were
calculated in process 91 are stored into the memory.
[0096] Process 93 is performed to conduct judgments on the ending
conditions of processing. If the ending conditions are satisfied,
the sequence will be completed, and if the ending conditions are
not satisfied, the sequence will return to process 61 and then
processes 61 to 92 will be repeated to set up the next rotation
plan. Various methods are available to assign the ending
conditions. It would be possible to assign the ending conditions
by, for example: setting the desired number of rotation plans
beforehand so that when the number of rotation plans that has been
stored into the memory exceeds the specified number, processing
will be completed; or if the calculation is likely to take too
great a deal of time, setting the upper limit for the calculation
time; or setting data so that when the value of the evaluation
function which has been set by the user during the
rotation-planning phase is reached, processing will be
completed.
[0097] In the case of the embodiment 2 described above using FIG.
10, the contents of the rotation plan set up depend on the
operation of part allocation processing means 4 similarly to the
case of FIG. 7. In part allocation processing means 4, a total
rotation plan can be set up considering the possibility of all
parts being allocated to the respective operating periods "k" (k is
from 1 to the total number of operating periods), or random
allocation is likewise possible. Or allocation can likewise be
determined by using an optimizing method such as GA or SA.
[0098] As described above, according to the rotation planning
apparatus pertaining to the present embodiment, it is possible to
establish a plurality of rotation plans and to evaluate and select
the respective plans. Similarly to embodiment 1, the rules of
allocation, including the evaluation data desired by the user, can
be assigned by being entered from a splitting rule input means (not
shown in the figure) into the part allocation processing means.
[0099] During actual operation planning relating to gas turbines,
in particular, since the scheduled inspection and checking periods
vary according to the particular plan of the controlling person,
not all operating periods are likely to be set to the same length.
When each operating period in the rotation-planning period varies
in length, a plan for residual part life to be minimized may be
establishable according to the way the parts are allocated.
[0100] In this way, when establishing a plurality of rotation
plans, a better plan can be established by calculating residual
life and other evaluation functions. In other words, it is
possible, by providing evaluation function calculating means 7 for
establishing a plurality of rotation plans, to create the most
efficient rotation plan or the rotation plan that the user
desires.
[0101] FIG. 11 shows an example of details of the display made by
the plan display means 6 pertaining to embodiment 2.
[0102] Rotation plans of the same period, for example, two rotation
plans, 101 and 102, can be set up, and the two plans can be further
compared. In FIG. 11, for example, shaft allocation of the parts
denoted by numerals 103 and 104 in the first rotation plan 101, and
shaft allocation of the parts denoted by numerals 106 and 107 in
the second rotation plan 102, are interchanged in terms of
position. Along with this, in the first rotation plan 101, the
allocation of 103 caused part I to be replaced because of expiry,
whereas in the second rotation plan 102, part 1 can also be
allocated to the operating period 6 denoted as 108, with the result
that the number of parts which requires replacement was reduced
from three to two.
Embodiment 3
[0103] Next, a third embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0104] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the outline of a system
which uses the rotation planning apparatus pertaining to the
present embodiment. Numerals 122a, 122b, etc. in FIG. 12 each
denote a plant for operating a single shaft or a plurality of
shafts. Numeral 121 denotes a business site at which the actual
operation results and operation plan information relating to the
plants 122a, 122b, etc. are to be retained and management and
maintenance plans are to be established. Plants 122a, 122b, etc.
and the business site 121 are connected via a communications means
120 such as a telecommunications line, and data can be exchanged
there.
[0105] Plants 122a, 122b, etc. are equipped with actual result/plan
storage means 123a, 123b, etc., which are means of storing rotation
plan information and actual results on each plant. These means are
further equipped with data input/output means 124a, 124b, etc.,
which receive stored information from actual result/plan storage
means 123a, 123b, etc. and then transfer the information to
business site 121 via communications means 120. Business site 121
has a data input/output means 125, an input data creating means
126, the rotation planning apparatus explained earlier using an
embodiment, and an actual result/plan batch-storage means 128. In
the figure, all components of the rotation planning apparatus are
denoted as numeral 127 for the sake of convenience. Information
similar to that stored into actual result/plan storage means 123a,
123b, etc. is stored in batch form into the actual result/plan
batch-storage means 128. Also, although the rotation planning
apparatus is represented as a first embodiment in the example of
FIG. 12, any of the apparatuses pertaining to the embodiments
described earlier in this SPECIFICATION can be used instead.
[0106] At business site 121, the plan and actual result information
that has been transferred via communications means 120 is received
by data input/output means 125 and stored into actual result/plan
batch-storage means 128. Also, the information to be entered into
the rotation planning apparatus is created from received
information by input data creating means 126. A rotation plan is
set up by rotation planning apparatus 127 using the created
information as its input. The established rotation plan is stored
into the actual result/plan storage means and sent via
communications means 120 to either one or more of the plants 122a,
122b, . . . that correspond to the rotation plan.
[0107] Since plants 122a, 122b, etc. and business site 121 are
connected via communications means 120, actual and plan rotation
data can be shared, even if the plants are distributed apart in
various places, whether they be located in one country or in the
world.
[0108] The rotation of part usage that spans between a plurality of
plants can also be planned.
[0109] The method of rotation planning in the present embodiment is
by: first, transmitting data from plants 122a, 122b, etc. to data
input means 124a, 124b, etc. via communications means 120 by use of
electronic mail or other media and receiving the corresponding data
at the business site; next, after establishing a rotation plan
using the received data as its input, storing the established
rotation plan into actual result/plan storage means 122, and;
finally, transmitting the established rotation plan to the
corresponding actual result/plan storage means 123a, 123b, etc. of
the plants 122a, 122b, etc. via data input/output means 125 by use
of electronic mail or other media.
[0110] Or there is an alternative embodiment in which, at a
business site 120, a rotation planning apparatus 127 is to be
supplied to plants 122a, 122b, etc. via the Internet. In this case,
the rotation planning apparatus 127 provided at business site 121
is to be released to the public through an Internet website. At
plants 122a, 122b, etc., the corresponding homepage is to be opened
using an Internet browser, then the information required for
rotation planning is to be received from data input means 124a,
124b, etc., and an execution instruction is to be transmitted. The
received information and the execution instruction are then
transmitted to business site 121 via communications means 120, and
rotation planning apparatus 127 is started. The thus-created
rotation plan is stored into actual result/plan batch-storage means
128, and at the same time, this plan is displayed in the Internet
browser window at plants 122a, 122b, etc. At plants 122a, 122b,
etc., the received rotation plan is stored into the corresponding
actual result/plan storage means (such as 123a or 123b) as
required.
[0111] By, in this way, providing rotation planning apparatuses at
a business site and setting up the rotation plans for a plurality
of plants, actual results and plan information on the plurality of
plants can be managed in batch form at the business site.
[0112] The adoption of the present embodiment offers the advantages
that the plant owners can set up the appropriate rotation plans
without a manual planning load and without a time lag, and that
since all rotation planning apparatuses are controlled in batch
form at one business site, there is not need to perform maintenance
operations on the rotation planning apparatuses themselves.
[0113] The adoption of the present embodiment also enable planning
for the rotation of part usage between a plurality of plants since
actual result/plan information on the plurality of plants is
managed in batch form at the business site. In such a case, a
business site, namely, a parts manufacturer or a maintenance
service provider, can provide batch control of all parts as one
form of service, receive established operation plans from plants as
input data, set up the rotation plans spanning between a plurality
of plants, operate the rotation planning apparatus at the business
site, and establish the rotation plans spanning over a plurality of
plants.
[0114] Although the term "business site" is used in the above
embodiment, if the business site is taken to mean either a
manufacturer who produces the parts for a plurality of plants and
performs the maintenance operations, or a maintenance company, the
adoption of the above embodiment makes it possible to understand
actual results and plans on each plant beforehand and to establish
the appropriate production plans and maintenance plans. In the
event that the need arises for the operation plan to be changed at
scheduled checking time, since planning is to be accomplished via
the system of the business site, when the plan is updated, the new
plan will always be transmitted to the business site even if not
intended by the user, with the result that the latest plan can
always be referred to at the business site without a time
delay.
Embodiment 4
[0115] Next, a fourth embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0116] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the rotation planning apparatus pertaining
to the present embodiment. The block diagram of FIG. 13 shows the
apparatus configuration in which a monitoring information input
means 7, a life calculation means 8, and an operating conditions
setting means 9 are added to the apparatus configuration shown in
the block diagram of FIG. 1.
[0117] The monitoring information input means 7 is a means by which
the operation information obtained from the sensors mounted on the
plants or shafts whose part usage rotation plans are to be set up
is entered into the rotation planning apparatus pertaining to the
present embodiment. The life calculation means 8 calculates part
damage levels from the entered operating conditions and then
calculates the damage levels as the minus life against the designed
service life of the parts. The operating conditions setting means 9
sets the operating conditions when rotation plans are
established.
[0118] In the rotation planning apparatus pertaining to the present
embodiment, life calculation means 8 is used to receive the
information entered from monitoring information input means 7 and
then calculate the current lives of the parts to be used for
rotation, and to receive the information sent from operating
conditions setting means 9 and then calculate the lives of parts
during planning.
[0119] The life calculation means 8 used here employs a method of
calculating part life by, for example, estimating, from the
temperatures of and the stresses, strains, etc. applied to the
parts of gas turbines, from the operating temperatures of the gas
turbines, and then estimating the damage levels of the parts. That
is to say, when measured operating temperatures and other
information are entered from monitoring information input means 7,
part life is estimated from measured data. It is also possible to
adopt an embodiment in which, when the lives of the parts to
undergo planning are estimated, the operating conditions are set
using operating conditions setting means 9, then the temperature
and other data estimated from the set operating conditions are
further estimated, and part life is estimated from the
information.
[0120] The flow of processing in the fourth embodiment is described
using FIG. 14.
[0121] Description of the processes 61 to 66 shown in FIG. 14 is
omitted since these processes are the same as those described in
FIG. 6. Of all processes shown in FIG. 14, only process 141 boxed
with a discontinuous line in the figure is performed by the
monitoring information input means 7. Processes 142 and 145 are the
processes performed by life calculation means 8, and processes 143
and 144 are performed by the operating conditions setting means
9.
[0122] Process 141 is performed to receive the monitoring
information obtained by observation from sensors during the
operation of gas turbines.
[0123] In process 142, the part life estimated under an initial
status is calculated from the sensor-observation-based monitoring
information that was received in process 141.
[0124] Process 143 is performed to set the operating conditions
estimated during planning. Details of this process are described
later.
[0125] Process 144 is performed to estimate temperature from the
operating conditions that were set during process 143.
[0126] In processes 61 and 62, processing described earlier in this
SPECIFICATION occurs.
[0127] In processes 145, the life of the part which was allocated
in process 62 is calculated assuming the operating temperature that
was estimated in process 144.
[0128] In process 63, judgments on allocation establishment are
performed on operating period "k" by use of the part life
calculated in process 145.
[0129] Subsequently, processes 64 to 66 are conducted similarly to
the processes described earlier. If the judgment results are "No",
the sequence returns to process 62, and if the results are "Yes",
the sequence is completed.
[0130] By conducting the above-described processes, the rotation
planning apparatus pertaining to the present embodiment can
accurately calculate operation life using the temperatures and
operating information that have been obtained from the plant or
shaft.
[0131] Next, operating conditions setting means 9 is described.
[0132] Operating conditions setting means 9 sets the operating
conditions during planning. This means sets the types of operating
patterns to be used when planning plant operation, and after using
these patterns to estimate the respective levels of the damage
which the part will suffer, uses the results to calculate life.
[0133] These operating conditions can be set by, for example,
creating a weekly operating schedule (WSS), a daily operating
schedule (DSS), and other model patterns beforehand and then
selecting each pattern, or defining operating patterns arbitrarily
by the user, or selecting a combination of these methods.
[0134] When setting up the rotation plan covering a plurality of
shafts, it is possible, by adopting the above methods, to create a
different operating pattern for each shaft, instead of assuming
fixed conditions in any case, or to establish a rotation plan that
allows for a different operating pattern according to season.
Embodiment 5
[0135] Next, a fifth embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0136] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the rotation planning system pertaining to
the present embodiment. The block diagram of FIG. 15 shows the
system configuration in which an operation planning means 161, a
maintenance plan setup means 162, and a maintenance plan storage
means 163 are added to the components 120, 121, 122a, 122b, . . . ,
123a, 123b, . . . , 124a, 124b, . . . , 125, 126, and 128 shown in
the block diagram of FIG. 12. The components 122a, 122b, etc. are
each a plant for operating a single shaft or a plurality of shafts.
The component 121 is a business site at which repair, replacement,
and other maintenance operations are to be performed on the parts
operated by one or more of the plants 122a, 122b, etc.
[0137] The operation planning means 161 is for setting up part
operation plans. This means outputs planning information on the
operating periods of a plurality of shafts and on the repair and
disuse-associated replacement timing of the parts at a plurality of
plants.
[0138] The maintenance plan setup means 162 analyzes the time
schedule for the maintenance and delivery required of parts, from
the part operation plans that have been established by operation
planning means 161, and sets up the maintenance plan covering a
plurality of plants 122a, 122b, etc. The maintenance plan storage
means 163 stores the maintenance plan that has been established by
maintenance plan setup means 162.
[0139] Before the operation of parts is planned, the approximate
period from the start of use to maintenance (this period is taken
as maintenance period "aaa") and the approximate period required
for one maintenance operation (this period is taken as maintenance
period "bbb") are set as maintenance conditions according to the
particular attributes of the part materials. The operation planning
means establishes operation plans based on these maintenance
periods. Therefore, before the usage time of the parts as a result
of their continued use arrives at maintenance period "aaa", the
next usage period is to be assigned by providing maintenance period
"bbb". Accordingly, the operation planning means makes
determinations on maintenance because maintenance must be performed
between operating periods for each part. The maintenance plan setup
means checks the maintenance plan and the maintenance resources
(locations, materials, maintenance personnel, and more) provided at
business site 121, against the operation plans established by the
operation planning means, and then sets the maintenance periods
matching the maintenance resources. If these are not possible, the
maintenance plan setup means returns processing to operation
planning once again.
[0140] Processing by maintenance plan setup means 162 is described
below using FIGS. 16 and 17. This description assumes examples of
establishing maintenance plans in the case that the maintenance of
plants 1 and 2 is conducted at business site 121. FIG. 16 shows
examples of an operation plan concerning plant 1, and of a
maintenance plan based on the operation plan. FIG. 17 shows an
operation plan concerning plant 2, and explains the process of
adding a maintenance plan based on the operation plan.
[0141] The area boxed with numeral 182 in FIG. 16 shows an example
of an operation plan established for plant 1 by operation planning
means 161. The vertical and horizontal axes in the figure denote
the same as those of FIG. 7. Numerals 183a, 184a, 185a, 185a, and
186a in operation plan 182 denote the periods of the maintenance
required therein.
[0142] The area boxed with numeral 187 shows the plan for
maintenance at business site 121, created from operation plan 182.
For simplicity, two types of resources are assumed as, for example,
the resources of the maintenance operations at business site 121,
with the maintenance operations being taken as operations 1 and 2.
The resources here include the locations where the maintenance
operations can be performed, maintenance personnel, and workloads.
The schedules for operations 1 and 2 are denoted as lines 188 and
189, respectively. The maintenance periods 183a, 184a, 185a, and
186a included in operation plan 182 are allocated to the
maintenance periods 183b, 184b, 185b, and 186b, respectively, that
are included in operation plan 187.
[0143] Suppose that when a maintenance plan based on the operation
of plant 1 is set up, the maintenance plan to be implemented at
business site looks like plan 182. Under this state, numeral 190 in
FIG. 17 denotes the operation plan for plant 2, established by
operation planning means 161. Numerals 191a, 194a, and 197a denote
the maintenance periods required in operation plan 190. Here, the
maintenance period 192a as against period 191a refers to the date
of the last day in the usage period preceding the maintenance of
part 1, and maintenance period 193a refers to the date of the first
day in the usage period following the maintenance of part 1. When
the maintenance period required of the part is taken as "bbb",
therefore, any period "bbb" between periods 192a and 193a can be
defined as maintenance period 191a. Likewise, any period "bbb"
between periods 195a and 196a can be set as maintenance period
194a, and any period "bbb" between periods 198a and 199a can be set
as maintenance period 197a.
[0144] Extraction results on the maintenance periods that can be
set for each maintenance operations in operating period 190 are
shown as numeral 200. This means that any periods "bbb" between
periods 192a and 193a, between periods 195a and 196a, and between
periods 198a and 199a, can be set as the maintenance periods for
part 1 of plant 2, part 3 of plant 2, and part 4 of plant 2,
respectively. At this point of time, since, as shown by numeral 187
in FIG. 16, a maintenance plan based on the operation plan for
plant 1 is set, it is determined whether the periods "bbb" required
for maintenance can be provided between, among all periods denoted
as 188 for operation 1 and 189 for operation 2, only those periods
not set as a maintenance period which overlap the period from 192a
to 193a, the period from 195a to 196a, and the period from 198a to
199a in 200 of FIG. 17.
[0145] Numeral 201 denotes a maintenance plan based on the results
of assigning unset maintenance periods in 187 of FIG. 16, and on
the results of setting the periods as assignable maintenance
periods in 200 of FIG. 17. Maintenance periods 191a, 194a, and 197a
in operation plan 190 are set to maintenance periods 191b, 194b,
and 197b, respectively, which indicates that 191b, 194b, and 197b
have been newly added to 187 in FIG. 16. As can be seen from this,
of all assignable maintenance periods shown in 200 of FIG. 17, only
those which satisfy established restrictions (187 in FIG. 16) on
maintenance planning are set as actual maintenance periods, and
this is the function of the maintenance plan setup means 162.
[0146] Also, the maintenance periods 191a, 194a, and 197a that have
been temporarily set in the operation plan of FIG. 17 can be
changed to the maintenance periods 191b, 194b, and 197b set as in
201 of FIG. 17.
[0147] Although an example in which the maintenance plan is
established as in 201 is used in the above description, a plan for
which the assignable maintenance periods and the maintenance
resources match may not always be establishable for reasons such as
overlapping between maintenance periods. In such a case, both the
operation plans for each plant and the maintenance plan to be
implemented at business site 121 can be set up by returning the
sequence to operation planning means 161 and then repeating the
above procedure until the maintenance plan matching the maintenance
resources has become establishable.
[0148] The above-described flow of processing by maintenance plan
setup means 162 in the present embodiment is summarized in FIG. 18.
Processing in this case will be started when operation plans are
established by operation planning means 161 and these operation
plans are stored into actual result/plan batch-storage means
128.
[0149] In process 202, the operation plan for a plant "x" is loaded
from actual result/plan batch-storage means 128.
[0150] In process 203, the number of maintenance operations, N,
included in the operation plan of the plant "x" is entered. In the
example of plant 2 that has been shown earlier, the value of N is 3
for parts 1, 3, and 4 each.
[0151] In process 204, the suspension flag is set to 0.
[0152] In process 205, maintenance counter "m" is initialized to
1.
[0153] In process 206, the ending date of the usage period
preceding the maintenance operation "m", and the starting date of
the usage period following the maintenance operation "m" are
entered. In the example of FIG. 17, the ending date of the usage
period preceding the maintenance of, for example, part 1 at site 2
corresponds to the date of 192a, and the starting date of the usage
period following the maintenance of part 1 at site 2 corresponds to
the date of 193a.
[0154] In process 207, the maintenance plan of business site 121
that is already determined at the particular point of time is
entered. In the foregoing example, maintenance plan 187 in FIG. 16
is entered.
[0155] In process 208, it is judged whether the maintenance period
of the maintenance operation "m" can be set so as to match the
maintenance resources. More specifically, this process is intended
for cross-checking, in 200 of FIG. 17 in the foregoing example,
between assignable maintenance periods and the periods for which
the maintenance operations in maintenance resources 188 or 189 in
187 of FIG. 16 are not set, and then judging whether the
maintenance periods "bbb" required can be provided in any
overlapping periods. If the results are "Yes", the sequence
proceeds to process 209, and if the results are "No", the sequence
skips to process 210.
[0156] In process 209, if the judgment results in process 208 are
"Yes", "m=m+1" is assigned and the maintenance to be judged is
advanced by one step.
[0157] In process 210, if the judgment results in process 208 are
"No", the suspension flag is set to 1 since maintenance period
setting for maintenance operation "m" is regarded as suspended.
After that, the sequence returns to process 209.
[0158] Process 211 is performed to judge whether "m>N". If the
results are "Yes", the sequence proceeds to process 212 since the
maintenance periods of all maintenance operations are regarded as
having been settable. If the results are "No", the sequence returns
to process 206 since there are maintenance operations regarded as
having not yet been confirmed as to whether the respective
maintenance periods can be set.
[0159] Process 212 is performed to check whether maintenance
operations whose maintenance period setting is suspended are
present after it has been confirmed that the maintenance period can
be set for all maintenance operations. If the suspension flag is
set to 0, since this indicates that the maintenance period can be
set for all maintenance operations, the sequence proceeds to
process 213. If the suspension flag is set to 1, since this
indicates that there are maintenance operations for which it was
unable to set the maintenance period, the sequence returns to
process 202, from which operation planning for plant "x" is then
repeated. In process 213, the maintenance plan that has been set
through the above processes is output to the maintenance plan
storage means.
[0160] Although this is not shown in the figure, the maintenance
periods existing during operation planning can also be updated on
the basis of the maintenance plan that was set up in process
213.
[0161] The above example assumes that when maintenance operations
are performed at business site 121, there are restrictions on
maintenance resources. Even if restrictions are not present,
however, the maintenance plan setup means can also be used to
calculate the quantitative requirements of resources by arranging a
plurality of plant maintenance periods in such a format as shown as
201 in FIG. 17.
Embodiment 6
[0162] Next, a sixth embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0163] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the outline of the
processes conducted by the rotation planning system pertaining to
the present embodiment. The block diagram of FIG. 19 shows the
system configuration in which an inspection history storage means
220, a part history storage means 221, and a maintenance details
estimation means 222 are added to the configuration shown in the
block diagram of FIG. 15.
[0164] The inspection history storage means 220 stores the
historical information indicating what types of parts suffered what
types of damage during checking such as periodic inspection. In the
case of a single-stage rotor blade, for example, the historical
information refers to information on the sectional decrease levels
of thickness measured for each independent part during periodic
checking. The information can be used as the basis for searching
for the corresponding record arbitrarily with the identification
number, damage level, and other record details of the particular
part, as the key.
[0165] The part history storage means 221 stores historical
information on independent parts. Examples of the types of
information stored include (1) what shaft was used for how many
hours during what period, (2) what types of maintenance were
conducted in what quantities at what number of hours of use, and so
on. These types of information can be used as the basis for
searching for the corresponding record arbitrarily with the
identification number, usage time, and others of the particular
part, as the key.
[0166] The maintenance details estimation means 222 is a means by
which, in connection with the maintenance of parts according to the
operation plans which were established by operation planning means
161, the historical information of parts that is obtained from the
foregoing inspection history storage means 220 and part history
storage means 221, is to undergo statistical processing to extract
tendencies and thus to estimate maintenance details based on the
tendencies.
[0167] The more specific flow of the processes performed by
maintenance details estimation means 222 is shown in FIG. 20. These
processes will be started when operation plans are established by
operation planning means 161 and these operation plans are stored
into actual result/plan batch-storage means 128.
[0168] In process 230, the operation plan for a plant "x" (either
from 122a, 122b, etc. in FIG. 19) is loaded from actual result/plan
batch-storage means 128.
[0169] In process 231, the number of maintenance operations, N,
included in the operation plan of the plant "x" is entered. In
process 232, the counter "m" of the maintenance operations covered
for the plant "x" is initialized to 1.
[0170] In process 233, the usage time of parts at the start of
maintenance "m" is entered. For 190 of FIG. 17, the usage time of
part 1 at the start of maintenance 191a, for example, corresponds
to the usage time of part 1 at date 192a. This usage time value is
taken as "ccc" for the convenience of explanation.
[0171] Process 234 is performed to estimate part damage levels from
the inspection history and the part history. In this process, the
part historical record corresponding to the usage time closest to
the usage time "ccc" which was entered in process 233 is extracted
from inspection history storage means 220 and part history storage
means 221, and actual data on the damage level of a specific
independent part before and after usage time "ccc" is reached is
further extracted. The damage level of the particular part at usage
time "ccc" is estimated from statistical quantities such as the
average value of the above sets of data. This usage time value is
taken as "ddd" for the convenience of explanation.
[0172] Process 235 is performed to estimate the types and details
of maintenance required, from the inspection history and the part
history. In this process, in the case of the part damage level
"ddd" that was estimated in process 234, what types of maintenance
were performed, namely, the types and details of maintenance which
was provided, are estimated by extracting, from inspection history
storage means 220 and part history storage means 221, the record
closest to part damage level "ddd". More specifically, the period
that was spent in maintenance, the types and details of
maintenance, and other factors are estimated.
[0173] In process 236, the maintenance period that was estimated in
process 235 is output to maintenance plan storage means 163.
[0174] In process 237, maintenance counter "m" is incremented by 1
(namely, "m=m+1") and the maintenance to undergo processing is
advanced by one step.
[0175] In process 238, it is judged whether "m>N". If the
judgment results are "Yes", the sequence is completed since the
maintenance periods of all maintenance operations are regarded as
having been estimated. If the results are "No", the sequence
returns to process 233 since maintenance operations whose
maintenance periods are not yet estimated are regarded as
present.
[0176] By conducting these processes, it is possible to estimate
the periods required for each maintenance operation covered in the
operation plan set up by operation planning means 161, and to set
up a maintenance plan based on estimation results. Although, in the
description of the above example, the maintenance details estimated
have been limited to the maintenance period required, the number of
persons actually engaged in the maintenance, the quantities of
materials actually consumed, and other resources can also be
estimated by recording, in addition to the factors described
earlier in the above example, these resources as the detailed
maintenance information to be added to the part history stored into
part history storage means 221.
[0177] In these processes, only the usage time during the intended
maintenance has been described as the data to be entered. It is
possible, however, to enter not only such usage time data, but also
conditions such as the operating temperatures and types of shafts
which were used, and to estimate maintenance details by searching
for the corresponding record. In such a case, however, new input
items must have already been registered as the items of the part
history.
[0178] Also, although, in the flow of these processes, the entered
usage time of parts becomes the basis for the search from
inspection history storage means 220 and part history storage means
221, usage time can likewise be estimated by creating master curves
of usage time and damage levels for each part and then making
reference to the master curves, based on the entered usage time of
parts during the corresponding maintenance operations. In this
case, instead of creating one type of master curve for each part, a
plurality of curves can be provided in classified form according to
operating conditions such as the operating temperatures and types
of shafts to be used.
[0179] In addition, although, in the flow of these processes, a
method of estimating the damage levels of parts from their usage
time and then estimating the quantity of maintenance, from the
damage levels, has been exemplified, the quantity of maintenance
can likewise be estimated from actual past maintenance result data
classified according to the particular usage time of parts, by
using the usage time as input data.
Embodiment 7
[0180] Next, a seventh embodiment of the invention pertaining to
the present application is described.
[0181] FIG. 21 is a block diagram showing the configuration in
which a history reference means 240 is added to the configuration
shown in the block diagram of FIG. 19. The history reference means
240 is a means by which the histories of parts and the history of
inspection are referred to from either the operation plans
established by operation planning means 161, or actual operation
result data.
[0182] FIG. 22 shows a display example explaining the embodiment of
the history reference means 240.
[0183] In window 241, the operation plans set up by operation
planning means 161, or actual operation result data is displayed.
The actual operation result data or operation plans that were
stored within actual result/plan storage means 123a, 123b, etc. or
actual result/plan batch-storage means 128 are displayed in chart
form in this window. When any operating period 243 is selected in
this window by use of a mouse 242, information that was stored
within part history storage means 221 will be displayed for the
part 2 corresponding to the selected operating period. For example,
if a plurality of independent parts, such as single-stage rotor
blades, are to be operated as a set, the histories of each
independent part included in the set called the "selected part 2"
will be displayed as shown in window 244. Details of the historical
information displayed include what types of shafts were used, when
they were used, and how many hours they were used, or what types of
maintenance were provided over what periods, and so on. Since such
historical information is not stored in actual result/plan storage
means 123a, 123b, etc. or actual result/plan batch-storage means
128, history reference means 240 has the function that first
acquires the part number (in the case of a set, the set number)
corresponding to the operating period which was selected using
mouse 242, then after retrieving the acquired part number from part
history storage means 221 and extracting information on the
independent part to be used in the operating period, and displays
the information.
[0184] For the parts handled as a set, in particular, if the set
contains too many independent parts, not all these parts have the
same history. History reference means 240 is therefore valid for
confirming the historical information of individual independent
parts and establishing operation plans.
[0185] This means can also be used to refer to and display not only
part histories, but also inspection histories.
Embodiment 8
[0186] Next, an eighth embodiment of the invention pertaining to
the present application is described.
[0187] FIG. 23 shows the configuration in which a stock control
plan setup means 250 and a stock control plan storage means 251 are
added to the configuration shown in the block diagram of FIG. 21.
The stock control plan setup means 250 refers to the operation
plans for the plants 122a, 122b, etc. to which the parts required
are supplied from business site 121, analyzes data on the plurality
of plants to confirm the time when new parts are introduced by
expiry-associated disuse of existing parts, and determines the
purchase timing of the new parts and the necessary stock control
plans based on the purchase timing. When operation planning means
161 is executed at business site 121 and the contents of actual
result/plan batch-storage means are updated, the stock control plan
setup means will be started and then it will update the stock
control plans by referring to the updated operation plans. The
stock control plan storage means 251 is a means into which are
stored the stock control plans that have been set up by stock
control plan setup means 250. The items controlled by stock control
plan storage means 251 include, but are not always limited to,
information such as the delivery timing, ordering timing, stock
volumes, and planned delivery destinations of each part.
[0188] Since it is possible to analyze a plurality of plant
operation plans over long terms and to immediately accommodate any
plan changes, parts can also be purchased over long terms according
to plan, not as required. For example, in the case that the
purchase of parts in great quantities at a time reduces the
purchase costs, the present embodiment provides significant
advantages.
Embodiment 9
[0189] Next, a ninth embodiment of the invention pertaining to the
present application is described.
[0190] FIG. 24 shows the configuration in which the rotation
planning apparatus shown as 127 in FIG. 12 has been adopted as the
operation planning means 161 shown in the block diagram of FIG. 12.
Maintenance plans and stock control plans based on the optimal
rotation plans can be set up as part operation plans by employing
as the operation planning means 161 described in embodiment 6, 7,
or 8, the foregoing rotation planning apparatus described in either
embodiment 1, embodiment 2, embodiment 3, embodiment 4, or
embodiment 5. Hereby, the operation of parts that is efficient to
plants 122a, 122b, etc. and desirable to the owners of the plants
can be achieved and highly efficient maintenance based on such
operation can be provided, without a time delay, at the business
site undertaking the maintenance of the plants 122a, 122b, etc.
[0191] As set forth above, the use of the present invention makes
it possible to reduce manual rotation-planning loads significantly
and to establish a plurality of rotation plans, and the calculation
of residual life and other evaluation data makes it possible to
perform comparative evaluations between the plurality of rotation
plans and thus to establish more efficient rotation plans.
[0192] In addition, as described using FIG. 8 of embodiment 1, the
optimal evaluation-based rotation plan that the user desires can
always be created, updated, and displayed according to the
particular operations of the pointing device.
[0193] The application of the present invention to the combustor
parts, rotor blades, stationary blades, shrouds, discs, and other
high-temperature parts that require replacement and, occasionally,
repair, enables setup of the plans for part usage rotation between
a plurality of shafts.
EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0194] According to the present invention, highly efficient
rotation plans for use between a plurality of shafts or plants and
with a minimum stock of spares can be established.
[0195] Actual result data and plan data can also be shared between
plants and a manufacturer or maintenance company who undertakes the
production and maintenance of parts, without being aware of data
update management. Thereby, the manufacturer can acquire
information on the actual operation result data and plans of each
plant, without a time delay, and conduct more economical production
activities based on planned production and manufacture, and is thus
most likely to supply less expensive parts to the user. Also,
initial capital investments on computers, systems, and the like,
can be minimized at individual plants.
* * * * *