Methods for dependency estimation and system unavailability evaluation based on failure data statistics. Volume 1, Summary report
- Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (US)
- Science Applications International Corp., Dublin, OH (US)
This report introduces a new perspective on the basic concept of dependent failures where the definition of dependency is based on clustering in failure times of similar components. This perspective has two significant implications: first, it relaxes the conventional assumption that dependent failures must be simultaneous and result from a severe shock; second, it allows the analyst to use all the failures in a time continuum to estimate the potential for multiple failures in a window of time (e.g., a test interval), therefore arriving at a more accurate value for system unavailability. In addition, the models developed here provide a method for plant-specific analysis of dependency, reflecting the plant-specific maintenance practices that reduce or increase the contribution of dependent failures to system unavailability. The proposed methodology can be used for screening analysis of failure data to estimate the fraction of dependent failures among the failures. In addition, the proposed method can evaluate the impact of the observed dependency on system unavailability and plant risk. The formulations derived in this report have undergone various levels of validations through computer simulation studies and pilot applications. The pilot applications of these methodologies showed that the contribution of dependent failures of diesel generators in one plant was negligible, while in another plant was quite significant. It also showed that in the plant with significant contribution of dependency to Emergency Power System (EPS) unavailability, the contribution changed with time. Similar findings were reported for the Containment Fan Cooler breakers. Drawing such conclusions about system performance would not have been possible with any other reported dependency methodologies.
- Research Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States). Div. of Systems Research; Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Science Applications International Corp., Dublin, OH (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-76CH00016
- OSTI ID:
- 10175230
- Report Number(s):
- NUREG/CR-5993-Vol.1; BNL-NUREG-52362-Vol.1; ON: TI93017478; TRN: 93:017973
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jul 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Failure cause analysis: fans. Final report
An analysis of the annual probability of failure of the waste hoist brake system at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
Related Subjects
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
REACTOR COMPONENTS
SYSTEM FAILURE ANALYSIS
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
REACTOR SAFETY
FAILURES
PROBABILISTIC ESTIMATION
RISK ASSESSMENT
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
RELIABILITY
STATISTICAL MODELS
TIME DEPENDENCE
220900
220200
990200
COMPONENTS AND ACCESSORIES
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS