Development of an assessment approach for the use of commercial (COTS) components in nuclear power plants

In the coming years, the modernization of existing nuclear facilities and the construction of new nuclear facilities, both nationally and internationally, is expected to result in a high demand for components for use in electrical and I&C equipment that is important for safety. The production of components qualified in accordance with nuclear regulations is associated with high costs for manufacturers due to the complex qualification measures and the low demand for components compared to other industry branches, which manufacturers are increasingly unwilling to incur. As a result, operators of nuclear facilities will be forced not to use components specially manufactured and qualified for use in nuclear facilities, but to increasingly rely on commercial mass-produced components, so-called COTS-components (COTS, commercial off-the-shelf). This project will develop an assessment approach for the use of COTS-components in safety-relevant electrical and I&C equipment in nuclear facilities. For this purpose, national and international procedures regarding the use of COTS-components are determined and evaluated, for which purpose various documents relating to this topic are evaluated. In addition, the procedures regarding the use of COTS-components in nuclear facilities abroad are evaluated. The findings gathered from these steps are summarized regarding various aspects and compared with requirements from the national nuclear regulations regarding these aspects. Based on the requirements for COTS-components and the requirements from the national nuclear regulations, an assessment approach for the use of COTS-components is developed.