Failure Mode Analysis and Reliability Assessment of HFO Centrifugal Separators in a Thermal Power Plant: A Case Study of the Ouaga East (Kossodo) Power Plant, Burkina Faso

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This paper presents an in-depth failure mode analysis and a quantitative reliability assessment of heavy fuel oil (HFO) centrifugal separators operating at the Ouaga East Kossodo thermal power plant. In this study, historical operational and maintenance logs collected from September 8, 2021, to August 19, 2024, are leveraged to identify critical failures, compute key reliability indicators (Mean Time Between Failures, Mean Time To Repair, and operational availability), and perform survival function estimation using Kaplan-Meier curves. The Ishikawa cause-and-effect diagram identifies equipment-related issues as the primary failure source, accounting for 33% of causes, while methodological factors and workforce contributions each represent 20%. Additionally, the Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) reveals that sludge discharge system failures, bearing and seal degradation, and separation disc malfunctions are responsible for 27%, 26%, and 30% of unplanned shutdowns, respectively. The aggregate MTBF across the three separators is calculated at 86.28 hours, yielding a failure frequency of approximately one event per 86 operational hours, alongside an overall operational availability of 69.72%. The Kaplan-Meier reliability curves distinctly highlight an accelerated wear-out phase manifesting after 1500 cumulative operating hours. These notably poor reliability indicators are potentially attributable to external aggravating factors, such as elevated ambient temperatures, inconsistent HFO physicochemical quality, suboptimal maintenance scheduling, and the procurement of unsuitable spare parts. Collectively, the outcomes of this investigation constitute an indispensable baseline reference state, which is paramount prior to the deployment of any condition-based maintenance strategy aimed at enhancing system longevity and operational continuity.

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