• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제44권6호
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• pp.663-672
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• 2012

As software based digital I&C (Instrumentation and Control) systems are used more prevalently in nuclear plants, enhancement of software dependability has become an important issue in the area of nuclear I&C systems. Critical attributes of software dependability are safety and reliability. These attributes are tightly related to software failures caused by faults. Software testing and V&V (Verification and Validation) activities are hence important for enhancing software dependability. If the risky modules of safety-critical software can be predicted, it will be possible to focus on testing and V&V activities more efficiently and effectively. It should also make it possible to better allocate resources for regulation activities. We propose a prediction technique to estimate risky software modules by adopting machine learning models based on software complexity metrics. An empirical study with various machine learning algorithms was executed for comparing the prediction performance. Experimental results show SVMs (Support Vector Machines) perform as well or better than the other methods.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.517-524
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• 2017

Cyber security is an important issue in the field of nuclear engineering because nuclear facilities use digital equipment and digital systems that can lead to serious hazards in the event of an accident. Regulatory agencies worldwide have announced guidelines for cyber security related to nuclear issues, including U.S. NRC Regulatory Guide 5.71. It is important to evaluate cyber security risk in accordance with these regulatory guides. In this study, we propose a cyber security risk evaluation model for nuclear instrumentation and control systems using a Bayesian network and event trees. As it is difficult to perform penetration tests on the systems, the evaluation model can inform research on cyber threats to cyber security systems for nuclear facilities through the use of prior and posterior information and backpropagation calculations. Furthermore, we suggest a methodology for the application of analytical results from the Bayesian network model to an event tree model, which is a probabilistic safety assessment method. The proposed method will provide insight into safety and cyber security risks.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권10호
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• pp.2262-2273
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• 2020

Digital twin technology can provide significant value for the prognostics and health management (PHM) of critical plant components by improving insight into system design and operating conditions. Digital twinning of systems can be utilized for anomaly detection, diagnosis and the estimation of the system's remaining useful life in order to optimize operations and maintenance processes in a nuclear plant. In this regard, a conceptual framework for the application of digital twin technology for the prognosis of Control Element Drive Mechanism (CEDM), and a data-driven approach to anomaly detection using coil current profile are presented in this study. Health management of plant components can capitalize on the data and signals that are already recorded as part of the monitored parameters of the plant's instrumentation and control systems. This work is focused on the development of machine learning algorithm and workflow for the analysis of the CEDM using the recorded coil current data. The workflow involves features extraction from the coil-current profile and consequently performing both clustering and classification algorithms. This approach provides an opportunity for health monitoring in support of condition-based predictive maintenance optimization and in the development of the CEDM digital twin model for improved plant safety and availability.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제40권5호
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• pp.365-374
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• 2008

Dependability-critical systems, such as digital instrumentation and control systems in nuclear power plants, necessitate engineering techniques and tools to provide assurances of their safety and reliability. Determining system reliability at the architectural design phase is important since it may guide design decisions and provide crucial information for trade-off analysis and estimating system cost. Despite this, reliability and system engineering remain separate disciplines and engineering processes by which the dependability analysis results may not represent the designed system. In this article we provide an overview and application of our approach to build architecture-based, dynamic system models for dependability-critical systems and then automatically generate dynamic fault trees (DFT) for comprehensive, tool-supported reliability analysis. Specifically, we use the Architectural Analysis and Design Language (AADL) to model the structural, behavioral and failure aspects of the system in a composite architecture model. From the AADL model, we seek to derive the DFT(s) and use Galileo's automated reliability analyses to estimate system reliability. This approach alleviates the dependability engineering - systems engineering knowledge expertise gap, integrates the dependability and system engineering design and development processes and enables a more formal, automated and consistent DFT construction. We illustrate this work using an example based on a dynamic digital feed-water control system for a nuclear reactor.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제52권5호
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• pp.995-1001
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• 2020

With the development of digital instrumentation and control (I&C) devices, cyber security at nuclear power plants (NPPs) has become a hot issue. The Stuxnet, which destroyed Iran's uranium enrichment facility in 2010, suggests that NPPs could even lead to an accident involving the release of radioactive materials cyber-attacks. However, cyber security research on industrial control systems (ICSs) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems is relatively inadequate compared to information technology (IT) and further it is difficult to study cyber-attack taxonomy for NPPs considering the characteristics of ICSs. The advanced research of cyber-attack taxonomy does not reflect the architectural and inherent characteristics of NPPs and lacks a systematic countermeasure strategy. Therefore, it is necessary to more systematically check the consistency of operators and regulators related to cyber security, as in regulatory guide 5.71 (RG.5.71) and regulatory standard 015 (RS.015). For this reason, this paper attempts to suggest a template for cyber-attack taxonomy based on the characteristics of NPPs and exemplifies a specific cyber-attack case in the template. In addition, this paper proposes a systematic countermeasure strategy by matching the countermeasure with critical digital assets (CDAs). The cyber-attack cases investigated using the proposed cyber-attack taxonomy can be used as data for evaluation and validation of cyber security conformance for digital devices to be applied, and as effective prevention and mitigation for cyber-attacks of NPPs.

• 전기학회논문지
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• 제56권10호
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• pp.1852-1858
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• 2007

To Increase availability and to enhance the safety, the modernization of Instrumentation & Control (I&C) systems is considered. The extended use of the digital technology lets nuclear power plants(NPPs) to replace their old analog systems with some proven digital systems. To adapt digital equipment to plants effectively and systematically, however, there must be an essential prerequisite, which is to evaluate current I&C equipment. This paper shows a practical methodology to evaluate the current status and reliability of I&C systems of NPPs using Reliability Evaluation System(RES) before performing upgrades or replacements for systems. The proposed method was applied to KORI Unit 2. The proposed method shows the current status of operating I&C systems effectively for upgrading I&C systems.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3319-3326
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• 2021

As a form of industrial control systems (ICS), nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C) systems have been digitalized increasingly. This has raised in turn cyber security concerns. Cyber security for ICS is important because cyber-attacks against ICS can cause not only equipment damage and loss of production but also personal and public safety hazards unlike in general IT environments. Numerous risk analyses have been carried out to enhance the safety of ICS and recently, many studies related to the cyber security of ICS are being conducted. Many existing risk analyses and cyber security studies have considered safety and cyber security separately. However, both safety and cyber security perspectives should be considered when analyzing risks for complex and critical ICS facilities such as nuclear power plants (NPPs). In this paper, the STPA-SafeSec methodology is selected to consider both safety and security perspectives when performing a risk analysis for NPPs in order to assess impacts on the safety by cyber-attacks against the digital I&C systems. The STPA-SafeSec methodology was applied to a test-bed system that simulates a condensate water (CD) system in an NPP. The process of the application up to the development of mitigation strategies is described in detail.

• KIEE International Transaction on Electrical Machinery and Energy Conversion Systems
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• 제5B권3호
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• pp.289-295
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• 2005

Instrumentation and Control (I&C) of the Neutral Beam Test Stand (NB- TS) Facility at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) for the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) project has been underway since the start of the project to answer the diverse requests arising from the various facets of the development and construction phases of the project. Optical signal transmission constitutes a significant portion of I&C works and has been performed for the entirety of the project. During the NB- TS construction and related experiments, significant achievements to a more accurate as well as more refined optical signal transmissions have been made. Examples of those I&C works that utilized the optical signal transmission are the Langmuir probe signal transmission, gradient grid current signal transmission, gas flow control and signal transmission, ion source temperature measurement, beam line component temperature monitoring, and coolant flow signal transmission, etc. These optical signal transition provisions are now performing part of the indispensable functions for the proper operation of the NB- TS facility. Attained experience and expertise are expected to be well applied to the upcoming main neutral beam injection (NBI) system construction for the KSTAR project.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제36권5호
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• pp.430-449
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• 2004

A quantitative model for a control system that integrates human operators, systems, and their interactions is developed based on discrete functions. After identifying the major entities and the key factors that are important to each entity in the control system, a quantitative analysis to estimate the recovery failure probability from an abnormal state is performed. A numerical analysis based on assumed values of related variables shows that this model produces reasonable results. The concept of 'relative sensitivity' is introduced to identify the major factors affecting the reliability of the control system. The analysis shows that the hardware factor and the design factor of the instrumentation system have the highest relative sensitivities in this model. T도 probability of human operators performing incorrect actions, along with factors related to human operators, are also found to have high relative sensitivities. This model is applied to an analysis of the TMI-2 nuclear power plant accident and systematically explains how the accident took place.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제41권3호
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• pp.225-236
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• 2009

This study has identified human performance research issues associated with the implementation of new technology in nuclear power plants (NPPs). To identify the research issues, current industry developments and trends were evaluated in the areas of reactor technology, instrumentation and control technology, human-system integration technology, and human factors engineering (HFE) methods and tools. The issues were prioritized into four categories based on evaluations provided by 14 independent subject matter experts representing vendors, utilities, research organizations and regulators. Twenty issues were categorized into the top priority category. The study also identifies the priority of each issue and the rationale for those in the top priority category. The top priority issues were then organized into research program areas of: New Concepts of Operation using Multi-agent Teams, Human-system Interface Design, Complexity Issues in Advanced Systems, Operating Experience of New and Modernized Plants, and HFE Methods and Tools. The results can serve as input to the development of a long-term strategy and plan for addressing human performance in these areas to support the safe operation of new NPPs.