[Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality] Selected Topics in Probabilistic Safety Assessment Volume 38 (Methodology and Practice in Nuclear Power Plants) ||

Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is a structured, comprehensive, and logical analysis method aimed at identifying and assessing risks in complex technological systems, such as the nuclear power plants. It is also known as probabilistic risk assessment – PRA. This book presents the theoretical basis to understand the numerous and complex aspects that are covered by PSA and it will help the reader to better understand and to effectively manage risks. The book provides PSA methods and techniques and it includes recommended procedures that are based on the experience of the authors and applicable to different levels and types of PSA that are used for nuclear power plants applications. It can be used as extra reading for PSA courses for practitioners and it provides quantitative risk methodology documentation for PSA. Preface Contents Acronyms List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction References 2 Special Topics in Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSA) Level 1 2.1 Input Information into PSA and Adopted Assumptions 2.2 Initiating Events 2.3 Databases 2.4 Event Trees 2.5 Fault Trees 2.6 Integration and Quantification General Approach and Special Aspects... 2.7 Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analyses References 3 Special Topics in Probabilistic Safety Assessments Levels 2, 3 and PSA Applications 3.1 Use of PSA Results 3.1.1 PSA and the Safety Paradigms 3.1.2 Use of PSA Results in Applications 3.1.3 Use of PSA Results in the Decision-Making Process 3.1.4 Feedback to the Study 3.2 Research Topics in PSA Methodology References 4 Mathematics for Probabilistic Safety Assessments 4.1 Basic Probabilities. Discrete Spaces 4.1.1 Basic Definitions and Formulas 4.1.2 Random Variables. Distributions 4.1.3 Expectation. Variance 4.1.4 Confidence Limits 4.1.5 Covariance. Correlation 4.1.6 Dependent Failures 4.2 Logical Structures 4.3 Importance Factors 4.3.1 Basic Definitions and Formulas for Coherent Fault Trees References Index