OECD Compsis Project Overview - NEA Joint Projects

Software-based systems are currently being used and retrofitted in operating nuclear power plants worldwide. The failure modes of both hardware and software in these systems are to some extent different from the analogous I&C systems. At present, there is no established international database where the failure modes of computerised systems are collected. The general aim of the COMPSIS (Computer-based Systems Important to Safety) Project is to exchange information on computer-based system reliability in a structured way. The high-level objective is to contribute to the improvement of safety management and to the quality of software risk analysis for software-based equipment. Software and hardware faults in safety-critical systems are typically rare events and, consequently, most countries do not experience enough faults to allow meaningful syntheses. Combined information from several countries, however, is expected to yield sufficient data to help draw conclusions. The main objectives of the COMPSIS project are to:

a) define a format and collect software and hardware fault experience in computer-based safetycritical NPP systems (hereafter called "COMPSIS events") in a structured, quality-assured and consistent database;

b) collect and analyse COMPSIS events over a long period so as to better understand such events, their causes and their prevention;

c) generate insights into the root causes of and contributors to COMPSIS events, which can then be used to derive approaches or mechanisms for their prevention or for mitigating their consequences;

d) establish a mechanism for an efficient feedback of experience gained in connection with COMPSIS events, including the development of defences against their occurrence, such as diagnostics, tests and inspections;

e) record event attributes and dominant contributors so that a basis for national risk analysis of computerised systems is established.

Work during the first part of the project concentrated on the development of the COMPSIS data collection guidelines, quality assurance and data exchange interface. Data exchange has now begun and about 40 Licensee Event Report (LER) events have been reported. In future, the project will expand its data collection basis to lower-level events beyond LERs.

Participants

Finland, Germany, Hungary, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States. In addition, the Atomic Energy Council of Chinese Taipei has confirmed its participation.

Project period

January 2008 to December 2010.

Budget

€100 000 per year.

The OECD/NEA COMPSIS Project

Participants

Project period

Budget

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