Reliability evaluation of the control rod drive mechanism in reactor by FMEA method

The control rod drive mechanism is the only active equipment in the reactor, and its reliability plays an important role in the reactivity control of the reactor. Based on the introduction of failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) method, this paper applies this method to evaluate the reliability of the new design control rod drive mechanism. The evaluation results clarify the failure reasons and failure modes of various components, and determine the severity level and risk level of every component. Furthermore, the reliability analysis can provide support for the reliability management of the control rod drive mechanism in the future. (authors)