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Common-mode/common cause failure: a review

Journal Article · · Nucl. Saf.; (United States)
Common-mode/common-cause (CM/CC) failure and its prevention has been a serious concern in the nuclear safety community during the past few years. Since redundancy was first used in an attempt to achieve high reliability in systems, the CM/CC failure phenomenon has been inherent in system designs. The concern is that high-reliability systems are subject to compromise by human error and environmental factors. Potential CM/CC failures are the result of adding complexity to system designs. They are the product of a supersafe philosophy. This article reviews the CM/CC failure phenomenon. Classes of CM/CC failures are compiled, and the defenses against such failures and their weaknesses are surveyed. Some regulatory considerations, operating experiences,and reliabilty analysis methodology are touched upon.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN
OSTI ID:
7013908
Journal Information:
Nucl. Saf.; (United States), Journal Name: Nucl. Saf.; (United States) Vol. 21:2; ISSN NUSAA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English