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Title: Effect of Epistemic Uncertainty Modeling Approach on Decision-Making: Example using Equipment Performance Indicator

Abstract

Quantitative risk assessments are an integral part of risk-informed regulation of current and future nuclear plants in the U.S. The Bayesian approach to uncertainty, in which both stochastic and epistemic uncertainties are represented with precise probability distributions, is the standard approach to modeling uncertainties in such quantitative risk assessments. However, there are long-standing criticisms of the Bayesian approach to epistemic uncertainty from many perspectives, and a number of alternative approaches have been proposed. Among these alternatives, the most promising (and most rapidly developing) would appear to be the concept of imprecise probability. In this paper, we employ a performance indicator example to focus the discussion. We first give a short overview of the traditional Bayesian paradigm and review some its controversial aspects, for example, issues with so-called noninformative prior distributions. We then discuss how the imprecise probability approach treats these issues and compare it with two other approaches: sensitivity analysis and hierarchical Bayes modeling. We conclude with some practical implications for risk-informed decision making.

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE - NE
OSTI Identifier:
1054292
Report Number(s):
INL/CON-11-22093
DOE Contract Number:  
DE-AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: PSAM-11,Helsinki, Finland,06/25/2012,06/29/2012
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS; Bayesian, epistemic uncertainty, quantitative risk

Citation Formats

Kelly, Dana, and Youngblood, Robert. Effect of Epistemic Uncertainty Modeling Approach on Decision-Making: Example using Equipment Performance Indicator. United States: N. p., 2012. Web.
Kelly, Dana, & Youngblood, Robert. Effect of Epistemic Uncertainty Modeling Approach on Decision-Making: Example using Equipment Performance Indicator. United States.
Kelly, Dana, and Youngblood, Robert. 2012. "Effect of Epistemic Uncertainty Modeling Approach on Decision-Making: Example using Equipment Performance Indicator". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1054292.
@article{osti_1054292,
title = {Effect of Epistemic Uncertainty Modeling Approach on Decision-Making: Example using Equipment Performance Indicator},
author = {Kelly, Dana and Youngblood, Robert},
abstractNote = {Quantitative risk assessments are an integral part of risk-informed regulation of current and future nuclear plants in the U.S. The Bayesian approach to uncertainty, in which both stochastic and epistemic uncertainties are represented with precise probability distributions, is the standard approach to modeling uncertainties in such quantitative risk assessments. However, there are long-standing criticisms of the Bayesian approach to epistemic uncertainty from many perspectives, and a number of alternative approaches have been proposed. Among these alternatives, the most promising (and most rapidly developing) would appear to be the concept of imprecise probability. In this paper, we employ a performance indicator example to focus the discussion. We first give a short overview of the traditional Bayesian paradigm and review some its controversial aspects, for example, issues with so-called noninformative prior distributions. We then discuss how the imprecise probability approach treats these issues and compare it with two other approaches: sensitivity analysis and hierarchical Bayes modeling. We conclude with some practical implications for risk-informed decision making.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1054292}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}

Conference:
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