# PAL-VMEA: A Novel Method for Enhancing Decision-Making Consistency in Maintenance Management
## 8 Conclusions
By combining the PAL with the VMEA, the authors seek to make the valuation of the weights associated with the VMEA more robust and thereby allow more accurate decisions for the maintainers who apply the method in their systems. However, seeking to consider the individual experience of each evaluator in the final result, BWM was also combined with PAL-VMEA, making the proposed method even more robust. To demonstrate the application of the method, a Kaplan hydrogenerator was considered as an example case, being subdivided into three large systems that, in turn, were subdivided in subsystems, totaling 10 subsystems. One of these subsystems (the speed governor air-oil accumulator, which can be considered the heart of a hydrogenerator) was chosen to demonstrate the development of the method, reaching the final result, the VMEA form. In this example, clogging in the oil pipeline was considered the failure mode for which the equipment shows greater sensitivity, as well as the volume of oil in the accumulator as the most relevant quantity to be monitored. The favorable and unfavorable evidence results determined for each Sub-KPC and NF were also analyzed according to the zones that make up the para-analyzer algorithm plotted on the USCP. This analysis demonstrated the coherence of the method, also serving as a guide for other applications due to the logic of the results. In addition to the advantages already demonstrated, a factor that makes the application of PAL-VMEA even more interesting is the way that specialists evaluate and value weights. As the evaluation by the proposed method is individual, the consensus between the different opinions, which is usually obtained via brainstorming with debates and discussions, is found in this case from a logical and mathematical process. The method ends up requiring the action of a mediator, who will be responsible for the calculations, being an additional element to the team of experts. Besides that, the method proves to be quite laborious for the mediator when applied to a large system, and its automation can be advantageous. Standardized forms can assist in interviews and information collection. Moreover, as a future work and natural continuation of this article, based on its results, it is possible to seek the development of a framework aiming at adequate maintenance policy for the components of a hydrogenerator systems and promoting greater reliability and operational availability to the power generation process. Conceptualization, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; methodology, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; validation, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; formal analysis, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; investigation, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; resources, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; data curation, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; writing--original draft preparation, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; writing--review and editing, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; visualization, M.M.B., M.A.C.M., A.H.A.M., A.C.N., C.A.M., and G.F.M.S. ; supervision, G.F.M.S. ; project administration, G.F.M.S. ; funding acquisition, G.F.M.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This study was financed in part by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior--Brasil (CAPES)--Finance Code 001. The authors thank the financial support of FOTE (Fundacao para o Desenvolvimento Tecnologico da Engenharia), CAPES, CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico), and EDP Brasil for the development of the present research as part of an ANEEL P&D Project. The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.