Reliability and Safety of Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems: New Challenges and Solutions

The paper is devoted to some aspects of reliability of Instrumentation and Control Systems (I&Cs) for Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). A few challenges regarding regulation, assessment and assure of NPP I&Cs reliability and safety are analyzed considering: the most known accidents in NPPs including the last of them at the Fukushima Daiichi, a progress in development and implementation of information technologies and computer components (hardware, software, FPGA). Tasks and solutions for NPP I&C reliability and safety which follow from these challenges are described. In particular, related standards, the problems of assessment and implementation of diversity principle and safety assurance are analyzed. Security informed safety approach is discussed.