Projects & Programs
Development of a Method to Incorporate Equipment Stressor Measurements into Probabilistic Risk Analysis
Collage of equipment and laboratories.
PNNL has been conducting research on the prediction of the time-of-failure of equipment due to specific causes that can be predicted from measuring stressors on the equipment. Given an equation for the time of failure, including the uncertainties in the measurements and the point of failure, an approach was developed that uses these data to update a Probabilistic Risk Analysis. An example application is to provide input to the evaluation of "real time" risk at a facility (e.g., nuclear power plant), and further, to plan the repair of the equipment to minimize risk from the failure as well as planning the optimal time for repair.