Dynamic operating policies for periodic processes subject to equipment failures.

The role of storage in buffering a process train from the effects of periodically reoccuring equipment failure is studied. The effects of deterministic and stochastic variations in the failure frequency and recovery time on the required size of intermediate storage are investigated. A dynamic operating policy is proposed to accommodate process variations in concern with the use of intermediate storage. Dynamic operation offers an increase in the average production rate of the process while using only modest levels of intermediate storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]