Reliability centered maintenance applied to electrical distribution systems

Abstruct-This paper addresses the importance of preventive maintenance on the reliability in electrical distribution systems. By the focus on (1) preserving system function, (2) identifying critical failure modes, (3) prioritizing important functions and (4) selecting possible and effective maintenance activities, a cost-effective preventive maintenance plan would presumably be reached, since these characteristics define the philosophy of reliability centered maintenance (RCM) with such an aim. They also define the used approach in a study made of the impact of preventive maintenance on the reliability in electrical distribution systems presented and discussed in this paper. A typical Swedish distribution system is analyzed utilizing a developed tool for reliability assessment RADPOW. The results clearly shows the benefit in system reliability by focusing maintenance on the critical components and to reduce the dominant causes of failures.