Methods for a Fire PSA exemplarily applied to a German BWR-69 type nuclear power plant

In the following, an advanced German approach for state-of-the-art probabilistic fire risk assessment (Fire PSA) to be performed within comprehensive safety reviews of nuclear power plants is presented on the background of the current German PSA Guide. This approach has been successfully applied in the frame of a Fire PSA recently performed for a nuclear power plant with boiling water reactor (BWR-69 type). The set of all compartments in a nuclear power plant is the starting point for determining the annual frequency of fire induced plant hazard and core damage states. Fire PSA has to be carried out in several steps. First step of the analysis is a selection process ('screening') providing critical fire zones, where a fully developed fire has the potential to both cause an initiating event and impair the function of at least one nuclear safety related component or system. Detailed analyses providing compartment specific fire induced hazard state frequencies are performed only for those compartments, where in case of fire a relevant contribution to the overall hazard state frequency can be expected. Both analytical steps, selection of relevant compartments as well as detailed analyses, are based on a comprehensive compartment related compilation of fire specific data and information. (orig.)