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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Integrated Risk Assessment for Digital Instrumentation and Control


Goal​​​

To support licensing of the transition from analog instrumentation and control (I&C) technologies to digital I&C technologies in a nuclear power facility.

Integrated risk-assessment for digital I&C assures the long-term safety and reliability of vital systems, reduces uncertainty in licensing costs and time, and supports integration of digital systems in the plant and more-efficient upgrades of technology for the entire life cycle of nuclear power plants.​

O​​​utcome

Researchers will develop an integrated risk assessment framework for delivering a technical basis to support effective and secure digital I&C technologies for digital upgrades/designs at nuclear power plants. The framework will provide: (1) A best-estimate, risk-informed capability to address new technical digital issues quantitatively, focusing on software common cause failures (CCFs) in safety-critical digital I&C systems, (2) A common and modularized platform for digital I&C designers, software developers, cybersecurity analysts, and plant engineers to predict and prevent risk in the early design stage of digital I&C systems, (3) A technical bases and risk-informed insights to assist users to address and fulfill the risk-informed alternatives for evaluation of CCFs in safety-critical digital I&C systems, (4)​ A risk-informed tool that offers a capability of design architecture evaluation of various digital I&C systems to support system design decisions in diversity and redundancy applications.​

Planned Major Accomplishments

  • 2023—Complete a collaborative project with the nuclear industry on digital I&C reliability analysis; further develop and demonstrate the proposed framework in the evaluation of various digital I&C design architectures in terms of risk assessment and economic efficiencies.​

​Related Reports

 

 

An Integrated Framework for Risk Assessment of Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: Methodology Refinement and Exploration, INL/RPT-23-74412288680In FY 2023, this project focused on enhancing software common cause failure (CCF) modeling and risk assessment methods for digital instrumentation and control (DI&C) systems. The goal is to strengthen the methodology for assessing safety-related DI&C systems. The proposed framework and methods have been refined through feedback from industrial partners and previous technical peer reviews. A modification to the CCF approach within the proposed framework improves its ability to model and evaluate software CCFs in diverse DI&C systems. This project also investigated new methodologies for assessing human system interfaces, conducting dynamic probabilistic risk analyses on CCF evaluation, and evaluating the reliability of potential machine learning models integrated into DI&C systems. These efforts aim to provide a more comprehensive assessment of various safety-related DI&C design architectures. In FY 2023, this project focused on enhancing software common cause failure (CCF) modeling and risk assessment methods for digital instrumentation and control (DI&C) systems. The goal is to strengthen the methodology for assessing safety-related DI&C systems. The proposed framework and methods have been refined through feedback from industrial partners and previous technical peer reviews. A modification to the CCF approach within the proposed framework improves its ability to model and evaluate software CCFs in diverse DI&C systems. This project also investigated new methodologies for assessing human system interfaces, conducting dynamic probabilistic risk analyses on CCF evaluation, and evaluating the reliability of potential machine learning models integrated into DI&C systems. These efforts aim to provide a more comprehensive assessment of various safety-related DI&C design architectures. 9/14/2023 9:51:58 PMU.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government Han Bao 1 , Tate Shorthill 2 12https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
EMRALD-HUNTER: An Embedded Dynamic Human Reliability Analysis Module for Probabilistic Risk Assessment, INL/RPT-23-72783279088EMRALD is a software package for dynamic probabilistic risk assessment, while HUNTER is a tool for modeling human reliability analysis. The integration of these tools, known as EMRALD-HUNTER, enables streamlined risk modeling for both plant systems and human operator reliability, incorporating human reliability analysis into dynamic probabilistic risk assessment models.EMRALD is a software package for dynamic probabilistic risk assessment, while HUNTER is a tool for modeling human reliability analysis. The integration of these tools, known as EMRALD-HUNTER, enables streamlined risk modeling for both plant systems and human operator reliability, incorporating human reliability analysis into dynamic probabilistic risk assessment models.5/31/2023 12:23:27 PMINL/RPT-23-72783 Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program EMRALD-HUNTER: An Embedded Dynamic Human Reliability Analysis Module for Probabilistic Risk Assessment May 2023 U.S. 149https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
Summary of Technical Peer Review on the Risk Assessment Framework proposed in Report INL/RPT-22-68656 for Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems, INL/RPT-23-71699292972The objective of this technical peer review is to obtain representative feedback on the proposed framework to improve the technical qualities of its methodology and readiness for deployment to the industry. Feedback may identify potential areas for improvement and further development. The subject-matter experts were invited to review the latest project report documenting the methodology developed in the project and provide evaluations of the technical qualities of the proposed framework and relevant methods.The objective of this technical peer review is to obtain representative feedback on the proposed framework to improve the technical qualities of its methodology and readiness for deployment to the industry. Feedback may identify potential areas for improvement and further development. The subject-matter experts were invited to review the latest project report documenting the methodology developed in the project and provide evaluations of the technical qualities of the proposed framework and relevant methods.4/13/2023 2:50:27 PMU.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government Han Bao 1 , Tate Shorthill 2 98https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
Risk Analysis of Various Design Architectures for High Safety-Significant Safety-Related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems of Nuclear Power Plants During Accident Scenarios, INL/RPT-22-70056235252In FY 2019, the RISA Pathway initiated a project to develop a risk assessment strategy for delivering a technical basis to support effective and secure DI&C technologies for digital upgrades/designsIn FY 2019, the RISA Pathway initiated a project to develop a risk assessment strategy for delivering a technical basis to support effective and secure DI&C technologies for digital upgrades/designs1/24/2023 4:07:05 AMU.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government Han Bao 1 , Sai Zhang 1 , Robert 88https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
An Integrated Framework for Risk Assessment of High Safety-Significant Safety-Related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: Methodology and Demonstration, INL/RPT-22-6865653487An Integrated Framework for Risk Assessment of High Safety-significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: Methodology and Demonstration.An Integrated Framework for Risk Assessment of High Safety-significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: Methodology and Demonstration.1/24/2023 8:01:03 PMU.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government Han Bao 1 , Tate Shorthill 2 284https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
Quantitative Risk Analysis of High Safety significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants using IRADIC Technology, INL/EXT-21-64039231564Quantitative Risk Analysis of High Safety significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants using IRADIC Technology, INL/EXT-21-64039Quantitative Risk Analysis of High Safety significant Safety-related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants using IRADIC Technology, INL/EXT-21-640398/31/2021 3:22:07 AMU.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government Han Bao 1 , Tate Shorthill 2 350https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
Redundancy-guided System-theoretic Hazard and Reliability Analysis of Safety related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-20-59550199537Redundancy-guided System-theoretic Hazard and Reliability Analysis of Safety related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-20-59550Redundancy-guided System-theoretic Hazard and Reliability Analysis of Safety related Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-20-595508/26/2020 9:04:58 PMHan Bao, Tate Shorthill, Hongbin Zhang U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy This information was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. 637https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
An Integrated Risk Assessment Process for Digital Instrumentation and Control Upgrades of Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-19-5521955770An Integrated Risk Assessment Process for Digital Instrumentation and Control Upgrades of Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-19-55219An Integrated Risk Assessment Process for Digital Instrumentation and Control Upgrades of Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-19-552198/29/2019 6:33:21 PMINL/EXT-19-55219 Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program An Integrated Risk Assessment Process for Digital Instrumentation and Control Upgrades of Nuclear Power Plants Han 550https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf

​For more information contact:

Svetlana (Lana) Lawrence
Risk-Informed Systems Analysis, Pathway Lead
Idaho National Laboratory
Svetlana.Lawrence@inl.gov
Digital Instrument and Control System.jpg

Digital instrument and control systems located in the Idaho National Laboratory's H​uman System Simulation Laboratory