Qualification of systems programmed in power plants

Like other industrial sectors, nuclear power plants have benefited greatly from the use of information technology at all levels: design tools, protection and control systems, and operating monitoring tools. This article looks at the software quality of protection and control systems in recent nuclear power plants.

A general paragraph will give the reader an idea of the context in which the software is used in a nuclear power plant, characterized by safety and availability constraints, economic factors, and the functional contribution made by computer technology.

The second part presents the codes and standards used to develop and assess the quality of programmed systems.

The third section describes the characteristics (technical choices, practices) of each type of system, to help achieve the right quality. This presentation is based on concrete examples of such systems, in French and foreign nuclear power plants.

The final section looks at future trends, extrapolated from current studies and projects.