Over the past 30 years, numerous concerns have been raised in the literature regarding the capability of static modeling approaches such as the event-tree (ET)/fault-tree (FT) methodology to adequately account for the impact of process/hardware/software/firmware/human interactions on nuclear power plant safety assessment, and methodologies to augment the ET/FT approach have been proposed. Often referred to as dynamic probabilistic risk/safety assessment (DPRA/DPSA) methodologies, which use a time-dependent phenomenological model of system evolution along with a model of its stochastic behavior to model for possible dependencies among failure events. The book contains a collection of papers that describe at existing plant level applicable DPRA/DPSA tools, as well as techniques that can be used to augment the ET/FT approach when needed.

The book has been developed in conjunction with NERS 462, a course offered every year to seniors and graduate students in the University of Michigan NERS program. The first half of the book covers the principles of risk analysis, the techniques used to develop and update a reliability data base, the reliability of multi-component systems, Markov methods used to analyze the unavailability of systems with repairs, fault trees and event trees used in probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs), and failure modes of systems. All of this material is general enough that it could be used in non-nuclear applications, although there is an emphasis placed on the analysis of nuclear systems. The second half of the book covers the safety analysis of nuclear energy systems, an analysis of major accidents and incidents that occurred in commercial nuclear plants, applications of PRA techniques to the safety analysis of nuclear power plants (focusing on a major PRA study for five nuclear power plants), practical PRA examples, and emerging techniques in the structure of dynamic event trees and fault trees that can provide a more realistic representation of complex sequences of events. The book concludes with a discussion on passive safety features of advanced nuclear energy systems under development and approaches taken for risk-informed regulations for nuclear plants.

The book comprehensively covers the various aspects of risk modeling and analysis in technological contexts. It pursues a systems approach to modeling risk and reliability concerns in engineering, and covers the key concepts of risk analysis and mathematical tools used to assess and account for risk in engineering problems. The relevance of incorporating risk-based structures in design and operations is also stressed, with special emphasis on the human factor and behavioral risks. The book uses the nuclear plant, an extremely complex and high-precision engineering environment, as an example to develop the concepts discussed. The core mechanical, electronic and physical aspects of such a complex system offer an excellent platform for analyzing and creating risk-based models. The book also provides real-time case studies in a separate section to demonstrate the use of this approach. There are many limitations when it comes to applications of risk-based approaches to engineering problems. The book is structured and written in a way that addresses these key gap areas to help optimize the overall methodology. This book serves as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on risk and reliability in engineering. It can also be used outside the classroom for professional development courses aimed at practicing engineers or as an introduction to risk-based engineering for professionals, researchers, and students interested in the field.

Advanced Security and Safeguarding in the Nuclear Power Industry: State of the art and future challenges presents an overview of a wide ranging scientific, engineering, policy, regulatory, and legal issues facing the nuclear power industry. Editor Victor Nian and his team of contributors deliver a much needed review of the latest developments in safety, security and safeguards (“Three S’s ) as well as other related and important subject matters within and beyond the nuclear power industry. This book is particularly insightful to countries with an interest in developing a nuclear power industry as well as countries where education to improve society’s opinion on nuclear energy is crucial to its future success. Advanced Security and Safeguarding in the Nuclear Power Industry covers the foundations of nuclear power production as well as the benefits and impacts of radiation to human society, international conventions, treaties, and standards on the “Three S’s , emergency preparedness and response, and civil liability in the event of a nuclear accident. The socio-technical and economic risks of civilian and military applications of atomic energy Putting into perspective the hazards of radioactive sources and health impacts of exposure to radiation Prevention and protection against severe nuclear accidents with a much needed update on lessons learnt from “Fukushima International conventions, treaties, legal frameworks, standards and best practices on “Three S’s , emergency preparedness and response, and civil liability Evolving technological and institutional challenges facing the nuclear power industry in the future

This book describes a number of the more important improvements in risk assessment methodology in the nuclear industry, developed over the last decade. It presents them in an instructive way so as to be suitable for those wishing to understand the techniques. The methodology of modern probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is discussed in detail. This book is divided into six parts. Part I, Protecting the Public Health and Safety provides an overview of risk analysis including results presentation, safety goals, emergency planning, and public perception. Part II, the Mathematics, which is necessary to understand the text. Part III, safety Aspects of Light Water Reactors describes the types of plants and goes on to discuss accident initiator selection and frequencies. Part IV, PRA, describes system modelling, human factors analysis, data bases, codes, system interactions, external events, core melt physics, and the transport of radionuclides to the public. Part V discusses 34 types of applications of PRA. Part VI, Resources, provides a glossary, references, and an index. Problems are provided at the end of each part to both stimulate understanding and introduce additional material. This book would be a very valuable addition to the reference library of practitioners in the risk assessment business. It is also a useful instructional text for graduate and undergraduate nuclear engineering students as well as newcomers to the field.

Recent interest in fast reactor technology has led to renewed analysis of past reactor concepts such as Gas Fast Reactors and Sodium Fast Reactors. In an effort to make these reactors more economic, the fuel is required to stay in the reactor for extended periods of time; the longer the fuel stays within the core, the more fertile material is converted into usable fissile material. However, as burnup of the fuel-rod increases, so does the internal pressure buildup due to gaseous fission products. In order to reach the 30 year lifetime requirements of some reactor designs, the fuel pins must have a vented-type design to allow the buildup of fission products to escape. The present work aims to progress the understanding of the feasibility and safety issues related to gas reactors that incorporate vented fuel. The work was separated into three different work-scopes: 1. Quantitatively determine fission gas release from uranium carbide in a representative helium cooled fast reactor; 2. Model the fission gas behavior, transport, and collection in a Fission Product Vent System; and, 3. Perform a safety analysis of the Fission Product Vent System. Each task relied on results from the previous task, culminating in a limited scope Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) of the Fission Product Vent System. Within each task, many key parameters lack the fidelity needed for comprehensive or accurate analysis. In the process of completing each task, the data or methods that were lacking were identified and compiled in a Gap Analysis included at the end of the report.

Risk-informed Methods and Applications in Nuclear and Energy Engineering: Modelling, Experimentation, and Validation presents a comprehensive view of the latest technical approaches and experimental capabilities in nuclear energy engineering. Based on Idaho National Laboratory’s popular summer school series, this book compiles a collection of entries on the cutting-edge research and knowledge presented by proponents and developers of current and future nuclear systems, focusing on the connection between modelling and experimental approaches. Included in this book are key topics such as probabilistic concepts for risk analysis, the survey of legacy reliability and risk analysis tools, and newly developed tools supporting dynamic probabilistic risk-assessment. This book is an insightful and inspiring compilation of work from top nuclear experts from INL. Industry professionals, researchers and academics working in nuclear engineering, safety, operations and training will gain a board picture of the current state-of-practice and be able to apply that to their own risk-assessment studies. Based on Idaho National Laboratory’s summer school series, this book is a collection of entries from proponents and developers of current and future nuclear systems Provides an up-to-date view of current technical approaches and experimental capabilities in nuclear energy engineering, covering modeling and validation, and focusing on risk-informed methods and applications Equips the reader with an understanding of various case studies and experimental validations to enable them to carry out a risk-assessment study