Safety management in NPPs : a multi - objective optimization

Technical specification and maintenance (TS and M) activities in a plant are associated with controlling risk or with satisfying requirements, and are candidates to be evaluated for their resource effectiveness in risk-informed applications. Accordingly, the Risk-Based analysis of Technical Specification (RBTS) is being considered in evaluating current Technical Specification (TS). The multi objective optimization of the TS and M requirements of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) based on risk and cost, gives the pareto-optimal solutions, from which the utility can pick its decision variables suiting its interest. In this paper a multi objective Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique has been used to make a trade-off between risks and cost both at the system level and at the plant level for Loss of coolant Accident (LOCA) as an initiating event. (author)