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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 technologies in a nuclear power facility.

Integrated risk-assessment methodologies for digital I&C assure the long-term safety and reliability of vital systems, reduce uncertainty in licensing costs and time, and support 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). 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 an industry peer review for the FY-22 project report; complete a technical report for the 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

 

 

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 26https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf
Human Unimodel for Nuclear Technology to Enhance Reliability (HUNTER) Demonstration: Part 2, Model Runs of Operational Scenarios, INL/RPT-22-70076274559The purpose of this report is to demonstrate two additional operational scenarios modeled in HUNTER: startup and loss of feedwater. The report also documents additional features in HUNTER accomplished through coupling it with the Rancor Microworld Simulator.The purpose of this report is to demonstrate two additional operational scenarios modeled in HUNTER: startup and loss of feedwater. The report also documents additional features in HUNTER accomplished through coupling it with the Rancor Microworld Simulator.11/16/2022 4:28:46 AMNeither the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the 7https://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 176https://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 257https://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. 548https://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 464https://lwrs.inl.gov/RiskInformed Safety Margin Characterization/Forms/AllItems.aspxpdfFalsepdf








Digital Instrument and Control System.jpg

Digital instrument and control systems located in the INL's Human System Simulation Laboratory.​