Applicability Analysis of Generic Reliability Data for PSA on a Specific Reactor

Probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) on a specific reactor are often implemented without considering the applicability of generic reliability data, and doubt about such assessments is aroused because of the lack of plant-specific reliability data. The applicability of generic reliability data is analyzed in present paper, in order to remove the doubt in a way. Several sets of reliability data composing from different sources are researched. The following analysis evaluate a fault tree for a typical example of a reactor, using several sets of reliability data and show the differences in the results. Additionally, a comparison is made with a procedure of analysis using reliability data ranges. The results show that the probabilistic safety analysis on a specific reactor using reliability data which come from different sources is feasible. The differences are slight for most components, only a few key components should be separated in the first place and concentrated more attention on them. The superiority of plant-specific data should be advocated. In the mean time, the lack of data should not be a barrier for PSA on a specific reactor. And the analysis facing a lack of data is advised to be encouraged as an approach to improve the safety of specific reactors.