UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Hello:
I have a question here, ¿What is the ps parameter MINFLT on a Tru64 Unix OS?,
As far as I can know, it just refers to all the page swaps that have failed when accessing to the memory (RAM).

If that is true, i would like to explain my case: I have a process that runs continuosly day and night (except for a moment at night that is restarted), this process runs on a machione that has the following characteristics:
+ 4 CPU's Alpha (486 MHz each)
+ 8GB of RAM (Real Memory)
+ 8GB of Virtual Memory.
+ The ARQ is a Digital Alpha (1997)
My process start to reserve a total og 5.01 GB (on VSZ) and each time it gets a file it moves to RSS an average of 750 MB. During the day and while processing files the system MINFLT increments steadily until its restart. Up to here is the normal running.
Now it comes the wierd situation. Sometimes the process picks a file and starts to reserve memory, but before it finish to allocate all the memory need for this file, the MINFLT starts to increment exponencially moving in no time from 20.000.000 to 2.000.000.000 pages and the process takes 99% of the CPU and looks like is hang. However during this process the OS never says anything. Here are my questions:
1.- Can this problem be because the systems runs out of memory?
2.- If the process runs out of memory, Why doesn't react the OS? (Just like killing the process and dumping a core)
3.- Is there any bug on a Tru64 related to this problem?

Notes: We know the system is low on memory when running and we also know that the process may have a little memory leak (No more than 170 MB / 5010 MB per 24 continuos running). This has happened around 5 times in the last 3 months.

Personal Note: I am not an Unix admin, so If something I ask is obvious, sorry.

THanks in Advance.
Fco Jaen