PRA databases and their realized/potential benefits

PRA creation and maintenance is largely a collection and manipulation of many areas of data. A large portion of the PRA may be broken down into individual records of data. When these records of data are properly linked in a database, the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) practitioners can utilize this information for all of their analyses. The linked database is especially helpful in "paper" plants and whole PRA updates. This paper answers the major questions about benefits and changes that the PRA organization can expect to see when implementing these linked databases. Including a more detailed description of what exactly these databases are, how they have been used, how they will be used, what processes need to change in the organization, and what advantages Westinghouse has seen in utilizing these databases. One large PRA database (myPRA Assistant) is being used in the PRA of a new plant design. Some of its features include a Basic Event Creator, a Support System Linking Form, an area to store information on System Top Events and their Success Criteria, and an Equipment Information Form. This database allows the PRA practitioners to work in parallel in a way that is all but impossible with current documentation practices. The vast amount of data collected also allows users access to data relationships that were unforeseen in the project. As PRAs become more complex, the documentation and manipulation of data expands exponentially. In many cases, usable documentation and manipulation may not be possible without a linked database. These databases save time, reduce errors, and provide better documentation than whatever sparse spreadsheets and paper documents were used in the past. This paper represents a high-level overview of how PRA Databases work and what the user could expect from implementing them. If you would like more detailed information on PRA Databases, please contact the author at the e-mail address given above.