Categorization of reliability of electrical appliances based on risk assessment

The article proposes a methodology for assigning categories of power receivers according to the requirements of reliability of their power supply. The concept of “category of electrical receiver” is fundamental in relation to ensuring the reliability of power supply and has long been used in general industrial and industry guidance documentation. At the same time, the interpretation of long-formulated formulations regarding the attitude of the receiver to one or another category still remains ambiguous and allows for misunderstandings, which is especially evident in industry documents. In order to formalize the process of assigning a receiver to one or another category, to make it more objective, a technique is proposed that is based on recently actively developed methods of expert risk assessment. The methodology allows, without going over to monetary terms, to qualitatively assess risks and formalize the procedure for establishing the category of a particular electrical receiver. An example of an expert qualitative assessment of risks and the choice of a category of electric drive of a sucker-rod pump installation is given.