Overview
ABSTRACT
This article aims at assessing the failure propagations in an active antenna thanks to the MBSA methods (Model-Based Safety Assessment). It will be determined using two tools: MissRdP, standard tool for the Safety engineer at Thales Alenia Space, based on Petri nets, and AltaRica 3.0, language dedicated to safety analysis and suited for failure propagation in a complex system. This study provides a demonstration for the power but mainly the flexibility of such tools, especially for a quick and efficient modification of the architecture, in comparison with more classic tools such as reliability block diagram or Markov chains.
Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.
Read the articleAUTHORS
-
Marion JUAN : Graduate Engineering Intern, ISAE-SUPAERO, Toulouse, France - Thales Alenia Space, Toulouse, France
-
David MAILLAND : Reliability Engineer, Thales Alenia Space, Toulouse, France
-
Nicolas FIFIS : Reliability Engineer, Thales Alenia Space, Toulouse, France
-
Guy GREGORIS : Head of Reliability Department, Thales Alenia Space, Toulouse, France
INTRODUCTION
In the space industry, reliability refers to a satellite's ability to perform a function, typically its mission, over a given time interval. Reliability is specific to dependability, and particularly so for satellites which are non-repairable systems, such as communications satellites, for which there are no second chances.
Experience shows that mission losses are always more costly than investment in quality assurance and reliability, especially in the case of very expensive communications satellites.
During the design phase of a project, reliability engineers must assess the reliability of the various architectures under consideration, and contribute their point of view to discussions between the various parties with a view to reaching a compromise. Indeed, reliability is an important criterion considered by engineering and can discriminate one design from another.
As the systems studied become increasingly complex, Thales Alenia Space, a player in the satellite industry, is adapting its tools and methods to meet the challenges it faces. For example, the emergence of MBSA (model-based safety assessment) is a promising technique for operational safety. It consists in representing a system by a high-level model in order to study the propagation of failures, and then to estimate its reliability by means of computer simulations. Its notable advantage lies in its flexibility, which allows rapid architectural changes, putting the dependability engineer back at the heart of architectural discussions.
In this article, we focus on the flexibility of MBSA tools, i.e. their ability to rapidly model several similar architectures. This flexibility is compared in particular to Petri net modeling, the origin of the concepts developed by MBSA.
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
Already subscribed? Log in!
KEYWORDS
Modelling | Failure | AltaRica | MissRdP
CAN BE ALSO FOUND IN:
Failures modelling of an active antenna and architecture modifications
Architecture considered
Bibliography
Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!
Already subscribed? Log in!
Article included in this offer
"Electronics"
(
268 articles
)
Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees
A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources
