RSICC Home Page SAPHIRE 7.27

RSICC CODE PACKAGE PSR-405

1.         NAME AND TITLE

SAPHIRE 7.27: Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-On Integrated Reliability Evaluations.

2.         CONTRIBUTORS

Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

3.         CODING LANGUAGE AND COMPUTER

MODULA-2; IBM PC (P00405PCX8605).

4.         NATURE OF PROBLEM SOLVED

SAPHIRE can be used to model a plant's response to initiating events, quantify core damage frequencies, and identify important contributors to core damage (Level 1 PRA). The program can also be used to evaluate containment failure and release models for severe accident conditions, given that core damage has occurred (Level 2 PRA). In so doing, the analyst could build the PRA model assuming that the reactor is initially at full power, low power, or shutdown. In addition, SAPHIRE can be used to analyze both internal and external events, and it includes special features for transforming models built for internal event analysis to models for external event analysis. It can also be used in a limited manner to quantify the frequency of release consequences (Level 3 PRA). Because this software is a very detailed technical tool, users should be familiar with PRA concepts and methods used to perform such analyses.

SAPHIRE has evolved with advances in computer technology. The versions currently in use (6 and 7) run in the Microsoft Windows® environment. A user-friendly interface, Graphical Evaluation Module (GEM), streamlines and automates selected SAPHIRE inputs and processes for performing event assessments.

5.         METHOD OF SOLUTION

SAPHIRE contains editors or options for creating event trees and fault trees, defining accident sequences and basic event failure data, solving system fault trees and accident sequence event trees, quantifying cut sets, performing sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, documenting the results, and generating reports.

 

SAPHIRE capabilities for performing a PRA are summarized below.

* Graphical fault tree construction

* Graphical event tree construction

* Rule-based fault tree linking

* Fast cut set generation

" Fault tree flag sets

* Failure data

" Uncertainty analysis

* Cut set editor, slice, display, and recovery analysis tools

* Cut set path tracing

* Cut set comparison

* Cut set end state partitioning

* End state analysis xiii

* User-defined analysis types

 

SAPHIRE has a powerful report generation module. In addition, SAPHIRE has utility functions to recover a corrupted database, convert fault tree logic from alpha to graphics, and change user-defined constants. With SAPHIRE, a user can export the graphical fault trees and event trees to an industry standard Windows metafile.

6.         RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS

Due to the complexity of and the variety of ways a fault tree can be defined it is difficult to define limits on the complexity of the problem solved by this software. It is, however, capable of solving a substantial fault tree due to efficient methods. At this time, the software can efficiently solve problems as large as other software currently used on mainframe computers.

7.         TYPICAL RUNNING TIME

Running times are a function of the problem to be solved and the actions performed by the user.

8.         COMPUTER HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

PC with Microsoft Windows.

9.         COMPUTER SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Package includes precompiled executable for Windows operating systems.

10.       REFERENCES

a.   included in documentation

K.J. Kvarfordt, S.T. Wood, C.L. Smith, “Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on

Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE)” Vols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7,  

NUREG/CR-6952 INL/EXT-05-00643 (September 2008).

b.   background information

S. T. Wood, K. J. Kvarfordt, C. L. Hoffman, “Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on

Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE System Overview Manual)” NUREG/CR-6952.

11.       CONTENTS OF CODE PACKAGE

One self-extracting executable containing precompiled executable for Windows systems, sample problem input and documentation.

12.       DATE OF ABSTRACT

April 1999, January 2000, March 2002, April 2011.

 

KEYWORDS:      RISK ASSESSMENT