FPoliSolutions demonstrates RISE, an RIPB systems engineering tool

The American Nuclear Society's Risk-informed, Performance-based Principles and Policy Committee (RP3C) has held another presentation in its monthly Community of Practice (CoP) series. Former RP3C chair N. Prasad Kadambi opened the October 3 meeting with brief introductory remarks about the RP3C and the need for new approaches to nuclear design that go beyond conventional and deterministic methods. He then welcomed this month's speakers: Mike Mankosa, a project engineer at FPoliSolutions, and Cesare Frepoli, the company's president, who together presented "Introduction to RISE: A Digital Framework for Maintaining a Risk-Informed Safety Case for Current and Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants."

Watch the full webinar here.

Some background: RP3C is a special committee created by the ANS Standards Board and chaired by Steven Krahn that provides guidance to ANS standards committees on the use of risk-informed, performance-based (RIPB) methods. The CoP is part of RP3C's charter, which includes training and knowledge-sharing of RIPB principles to exchange ideas outside of the normal management and project processes. Over the past five years, CoPs have frequently been used by organizations to help break down barriers that impede the flow of information.

RISE basics: Mankosa kicked off the presentation by giving a basic definition of RISE, which he described as a digital framework that serves as a risk-informed systems engineering tool. Its core purpose is to allow analysts to collaboratively develop a risk-informed safety case for a nuclear power plant, whether it be part of the operating fleet or a future, advanced reactor plant.

More simply, the web-based application is a smart safety case builder for the design and licensing of nuclear reactors, tailored to both operators and developers. According to Mankosa, the RISE project was originally motivated by the Licensing Modernization Project (LMP) and NEI 18-04 and, as such, focused on the licensing of advanced reactors. During the development work, FPoli extended the LMP process to the currently operating light water reactor fleet, broadening the applications of RISE.

Potential benefits: Mankosa broke down the opportunities that RISE presents into three categories: advanced reactor licensing, operational margins and flexibility for light water reactors, and promoting innovation and public acceptance.

On advanced reactor licensing, at the most basic level, RISE can help generate the RIPB safety case for new reactor designs. Beyond that, it also provides transparency in how that case was developed, while simultaneously automating burdensome documentation needs and collaboratively guiding analysts through complex workflows.

As for LWRs, Mankosa explained that RISE can help find new risk insights, improve fuel utilization, facilitate the management of operational incidents and issues, and streamline safety analysis methods. Finally, he said that FPoliSolutions hopes to help enable the deployment of highly enriched-high burnup and accident tolerant fuel products, as well as assisting in siting and emergency planning zone management activities, which could in term increase public acceptance.

A case study: Mankosa spent the bulk of the webinar walking through an example using RISE for the Modular High-Temperature Gas Reactor design that was made by General Atomics in the 1980s. To see the full, step-by-step process of how the application is used, watch the webinar recording at the above link.