Root Cause Failure Analysis

Root Cause Failure Analysis provides the concepts needed to effectively perform industrial troubleshooting investigations. It describes the methodology to perform Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), one of the hottest topics currently in maintenance engineering. It also includes detailed equipment design and troubleshooting guidelines, which are needed to perform RCFA on machinery found in most production facilities. This is the latest book in a new series published by Butterworth-Heinemann in association with PLANT ENGINEERING magazine. PLANT ENGINEERING fills a unique information need for the men and women who operate and maintain industrial plants. It bridges the information gap between engineering education and practical application. As technology advances at increasingly faster rates, this information service is becoming more and more important. Since its first issue in 1947, PLANT ENGINEERING has stood as the leading problem-solving information source for America's industrial plant engineers, and this book series will effectively contribute to that resource and reputation. Provides information essential to industrial troubleshooting investigations Describes the methods of root cause failure analysis, a hot topic in maintenance engineering Includes detailed equipment-design guidelines

Root Cause Failure Analysis Provides the knowledge and failure analysis skills necessary for preventing and investigating process equipment failures Process equipment and piping systems are essential for plant availability and performance. Regularly exposed to hazardous service conditions and damage mechanisms, these critical plant assets can result in major failures if not effectively monitored and assessed—potentially causing serious injuries and significant business losses. When used proactively, Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) helps reliability engineers inspect the process equipment and piping system before any abnormal conditions occur. RCFA is equally important after a failure happens: it determines the impact of a failure, helps control the resultant damage, and identifies the steps for preventing future problems. Root Cause Failure Analysis: A Guide to Improve Plant Reliability offers readers clear understanding of degradation mechanisms of process equipment and the concepts needed to perform industrial RCFA investigations. This comprehensive resource describes the methodology of RCFA and provides multiple techniques and industry practices for identifying, predicting, and evaluating equipment failures. Divided into two parts, the text first introduces Root Cause Analysis, explains the failure analysis process, and discusses the management of both human and latent error. The second part focuses on failure analysis of various components such as bolted joints, mechanical seals, steam traps, gearboxes, bearings, couplings, pumps, and compressors. This authoritative volume: Illustrates how failures are associated with part integrity, a complete system, or the execution of an engineering process Describes how proper design, operation, and maintenance of the equipment help to enhance their reliability Covers analysis techniques and industry practices including 5-Why RCFA, fault tree analysis, Pareto charts, and Ishikawa diagrams Features a detailed case study of process plant machinery and a chapter on proactive measures for avoiding failures Bridging the gap between engineering education and practical application, Root Cause Failure Analysis: A Guide to Improve Plant Reliability is an important reference and guide for industrial professionals, including process plant engineers, planning managers, operation and maintenance engineers, process designers, chemical engineers, and instrument engineers. It is also a valuable text for researchers, instructors, and students in relevant areas of engineering and science.

In the field of maintenance, good problem-solving practices are among the most important elements to maximizing equipment uptime, and by resolving the root cause of the failure, in increasing equipment reliability. To be successful, an organization must be able to resolve the effects of a failure quickly so that it can go back to normal, and, in some cases, determine the cause of the failure so that a permanent solution can be identified and implemented. These are two distinct requirements (troubleshooting and root cause failure analysis), with distinctive requirements. Both are important, and one cannot exist without the other if we want to be efficient and effective in resolving asset failures. This work takes a unique approach to equipment failure-related problem solving by presenting both types of failure resolution techniques, the purpose of each, and describing how best to use them. In presenting root cause failure analysis, the book distinguishes between information gathering and failure analysis. It provides five information gathering methods and three root cause analysis methods from the 5-Whys to Logic Tree Analysis to Single Functional Failure RCM. It follows a structured approach to managing the RCFA, from stabilizing the site and gathering information, to implementing and sustaining the results, to leveraging the solution. This book provides practical methods and tools needed to achieve problem-solving goals and objectives, both when troubleshooting a problem as well as when determining a permanent solution. All of this information is kept to a concise and extremely readable length and format. The market needs a practical troubleshooting and RCFA guide that is not software specific and that provides a clear, structured approach to both. This work is that rare find. Features Explores problem solving as a science. Focuses on how to help an organization be successful, both at quickly getting the plant back in operation, and defining permanent solutions. The only book to detail troubleshooting and RCFA under the same cover.

This book comprehensively outlines what a holistic and effective Root Cause Analysis (RCA) system looks like. From the designing of the support infrastructure to the measuring of effectiveness on the bottom-line, this book provides the blueprint for making it happen. While traditionally RCA is viewed as a reactive tool, the authors will show how it can be applied proactively to prevent failures from occurring in the first place. RCA is a key element of any successful Reliability Engineering initiative. Such initiatives are comprised of equipment, process and human reliability foundations. Human reliability is critical to the success of a true RCA approach. This book explores the anatomy of a failure (undesirable outcome) as well as a potential failure (high risks). Virtually all failures are triggered by errors of omission or commission by human beings. The methodologies described in this book are applicable to any industry because the focus is on the human being's ability to think through why things go wrong, not on the industry or the nature of the failure. This book correlates reliability to safety as well as human performance improvement efforts. The author has provided a healthy balance between theory and practical application, wrapping up with case studies demonstrating bottom-line results. Features Outlines in detail every aspect of an effective RCA ‘system’ Displays appreciation for the role of understanding the physics of a failure as well as the human and system’s contribution Demonstrates the role of RCA in a comprehensive Asset Performance Management (APM) system Explores the correlation between Reliability Engineering and Safety Integrates the concepts of Human Performance Improvement, Learning Teams, and Human Error Reduction approaches into RCA

Although there are many books on root cause analysis (RCA), most concentrate on team actions such as brainstorming and using quality tools to discuss the failure under investigation. These may be necessary steps during RCA, but authors often fail to mention the most important member of an RCA team the failed part.Root Cause Analysis: A Step-By-Step

Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) is a method used by maintenance and reliability industry professionals as one of the key tools to drive improvement. This book offers a quick guide to the applications involved in performing a successful RCFA by providing a foundational view of maintenance and reliability strategies. It also highlights the practical applications of RCFA and identifies how to achieve a successful RCFA, as well as discussing common equipment failures and how to solve them. Case studies on topics including pump system failure analysis and vibration analysis are included. Suggests examples on how to solve common failure on many types of equipment, including fatigue, pumps, bearings, and mechanical power transmission Highlights practical applications of RCFA Identifies key elements for how to achieve a successful RCFA Presents case studies on topics including pump system failure analysis and vibration analysis The book is a must-read for any reliability engineer, particularly mechanical reliability professionals.

Root Cause Analysis, or RCA, "What is it?" Everyone uses the term, but everyone does it differently. How can we have any uniformity in our approach, much less accurately compare our results, if we’re applying different definitions? At a high level, we will explain the difference between RCA and Shallow Cause Analysis, because that is the difference between allowing a failure to recur or dramatically reducing the risk of recurrence. In this book, we will get down to basics about RCA, the fundamentals of blocking and tackling, and explain the common steps of any investigative occupation. Common investigation steps include: Preserving evidence (data)/not allowing hearsay to fly as fact Organizing an appropriate team/minimizing potential bias Analyzing the events/reconstructing the incident based on actual evidence Communicating findings and recommendations/ensuring effective recommendations are actually developed and implemented Tracking bottom-line results/ensuring that identified, meaningful metrics were attained We explore, "Why don’t things always go as planned?" When our actual plans deviate from our intended plans, we usually experience some type of undesirable or unintended outcome. We analyze the anatomy of a failure (undesirable outcome) and provide a step-by-step guide to conducting a comprehensive RCA based on our 3+ decades of applying RCA as we have successfully practiced it in the field. This book is written as a how-to guide to effectively apply the PROACT® RCA methodology to any undesirable outcome, is directed at practitioners who have to do the real work, focuses on the core elements of any investigation, and provides a field-proven case as a model for effective application. This book is for anyone charged with having a thorough understanding of why something went wrong, such as those in EH&S, maintenance, reliability, quality, engineering, and operations to name just a few.