Mathematical Modelling with an Application to Nuclear Power Plant Reliability Analysis

Abstract

The safety performance of the nuclear power plant is the key factor in improving the nuclear energy option. Many incidents in the nuclear power plants are frequently caused by human error and equipment failure. Many of them outcome of poor managerial strategies. These types of errors could have been prevented if safety instructions had been correctly followed and supported in the maintenance system. The main aim of this chapter is to present a semi Markov model for nuclear power plant under human error, catastrophic failure and its parts failures. The main parts of a nuclear power plant are turbines, steam lines, steam generator, control rods in the reactor, pump for steams and cooling water and a generator for electricity. Although, a nuclear power plant has other components also in the said parts like steam dryers in steam lines, condenser tubes in cooling water systems, moisture separator reheaters in turbines, etc., even so, we have assumed that the main parts of the plant have failed partially due to the minor failure of its components. So, the nuclear power plant can be failed partially due to the failure of turbines, steam lines, steam generator, control rods in the reactor, pump for steams and cooling water and a generator for electricity. As well as plant can fail completely due to the human error and the catastrophic failure. The failure and repair times follow exponential and general time distribution respectively. Using the Laplace transformations and Markov process theory, the reliability indices of the power plant model are determined.