Probabilistic Safety Assessment of Nuclear Power Plants Using Alpha Factor Method for Common Cause Failure

알파모수 공통원인고장 평가 기법을 활용한 원자력발전소 안전성 평가

Based on the results of Probabilistic Safety Assessment(PSA) for a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Common Cause Failure(CCF) events have been recognized as one of the main contributors to the risk. Also, the CCF data and estimation method used in domestic PSA models have been pointed out as an issue with respect to the quality. The existing method of MGL and non-staggered testing even widely used were considered conservative in estimating the safety and had a limited capability in uncertainty analyses. Therefore, this paper presents the CCF estimation using a new generic data source and Alpha factor method. The analyses showed that Alpha factor and staggered method are effective in estimating the CCF contribution and risk insights of reference plant. This method will be a common bases for the optimization of new design for the construction plants as well as for the updating of safety assessment on the operating nuclear power plants.