Application of the dynamic FMEA in the reliability analysis of DCS

• Main Authors: Yankai Li, Xu Wang, Meng Lin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2020-01-01
• Series: E3S Web of Conferences
• Online Access: https://www.e3s-conferences.org/articles/e3sconf/pdf/2020/54/e3sconf_icaeer2020_01018.pdf

Digital distributed instrumentation and control system (DCS) is critical to the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs). Static analysis methods developed from analog control system are not applicable to DCS due to its enhanced dynamic interactions and complex structure of hardware/software/firmware. The enhanced dynamic interactions of DCS include both sequence and timing factors, which are hardly modelled in the traditional Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). In this study, dynamic FMEA (DFMEA) method based on simulation technology is put forward for the design and review of DCS in NPP. DFMEA based on real DCS hardware and software is developed to reveal the dynamic failure paths and failure modes. The results of DFMEA can well support the establishment of the dynamic fault tree/event tree in the review of NPP DCS, which reduces the dependency on the analyst’s experience significantly.