Improving online risk assessment with equipment prognostics and health monitoring

Jamie Coble, Xiaotong Liu, Chris Briere, Pradeep Ramuhalli

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The current approach to evaluating the risk of nuclear power plant (NPP) operation relies on static probabilities of component failure, which are based on industry experience with the existing fleet of nominally similar light water reactors (LWRs). As the nuclear industry looks to advanced reactor designs that feature non-light water coolants (e.g., liquid metal, high temperature gas, molten salt), this operating history is not available. Many advanced reactor designs use advanced components, such as electromagnetic pumps, that have not been used in the US commercial nuclear fleet. Given the lack of rich operating experience, we cannot accurately estimate the evolving probability of failure for basic components to populate the fault trees and event trees that typically comprise probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) models. Online equipment prognostics and health management (PHM) technologies can bridge this gap to estimate the failure probabilities for components under operation. The enhanced risk monitor (ERM) incorporates equipment condition assessment into the existing PRA and risk monitor framework to provide accurate and timely estimates of operational risk.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
PublisherPleiades journals
Pages141-149
Number of pages9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
VolumePartF4
ISSN (Print)2195-4356
ISSN (Electronic)2195-4364

Funding

Acknowledgments The research presented here was funded in part by the US Department of Energy Advanced Reactor Technology program through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

FundersFunder number
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
U.S. Department of Energy

    Keywords

    • Boiling
    • Cavitation
    • Lost
    • Steam

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