RISK-BASED ANALYSIS OF REACTOR OPERATING EXPERIENCE

摘要

The systematic collection and evaluation of operating experience data is an important element of the NRC's mission to ensure that commercial nuclear power plants are operated in a manner that provides adequate protection of public health and safety. Operating experience data is analyzed to identify risk-important trends and is used with Agency PRA models to determine the risk significance of events. The trend analyses and risk significance assessment results provide important feedback to the regulatory process. The NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) staff: (1) performs data collection and analysis in the areas of initiating event frequencies, system reliabilities, component reliabilities, and common-cause failure parameters; (2) analyzes and documents the risk significance of operating events; and (3) develops and pilots improved performance indicators and thresholds for the reactor safety cornerstones. Operating experience data is made available to Agency staff through the RES web page, and the feedback of operating experience data into the regulatory process provides operating performance perspective for Agency and licensee probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) models, inspection activities, review of licensing applications, input to performance indicators as part of the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP), and rulemaking activities. This paper provides brief descriptions and some results for these activities.