Modelling and availability optimisation of zinc plating process by using particle swarm optimisation

The main aim of this paper is to increase the productivity and reduce the maintenance cost of systems in process industries. Markov modelling is used for mathematical modelling, and steady state as well as transition state availability of various subsystems is analysed for finding the critical subsystem in a production process. The zinc plating process within the screw manufacturing industry is considered as a case study for optimising the availability of the system. The considered system comprises repairable subsystems organised in mixed configurations, assuming their performance parameters like failure and repair rates follow exponential distributions. To solve these equations, a numerical method, specifically the Runge-Kutta fourth-order method, is employed and MATLAB software is utilised for numerical computations. To optimise the results, a Particle Swarm Optimisation technique is used for optimising the availability of the system for various performance parameters and the results are helpful for planning the maintenance policy of the plant.