ML23187A486
| ML23187A486 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 07/06/2023 |
| From: | Christopher Cook, Ismael Garcia Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, NRC/RES/DE |
| To: | |
| Chris Cook 301-415-6397 | |
| References | |
| Download: ML23187A486 (15) | |
Text
NRCs Digital I&C Research for Application in Nuclear Power Plants -
Status Update Ismael L. Garcia Senior Technical Advisor Cybersecurity and Digital Instrumentation and Control Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response Email: Ismael.Garcia@nrc.gov Christopher B. Cook Branch Chief Instrumentation, Controls, and Electrical Engineering Branch Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Email: Christopher.Cook@nrc.gov The information and conclusions presented herein are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent the views or positions of the US Nuclear regulatory Commission. Neither the US Government nor any agency thereof, nor any employee, makes any warranty, expressed, or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for any third partys use of this information.
Key Messages
- The Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) supports current and future NRC activities related to Instrumentation and Controls (I&C)
- Novel techs are applicable to both operating and advanced reactors
- RES is proactively looking at these technologies to be ready for the future
- Selected projects discussed herein are a subset of active research 2
Research Drivers Licensees are considering digital I&C technology implementations NRC staff needs to understand associated safety and cybersecurity issues Need to develop technical basis for licensing, guidance, and oversight Help maintain the infrastructure of NRC staff expertise and competence Need for inspection tools or similar 3
Digital I&C - Safety-Related Research
- Systems Engineering Assessment Approaches
- Technical Basis for Acceptance Criteria of Software Intensive Model Based Engineering Environments
- Technical Basis for Evaluating Operating Experience
- Evaluate adequacy of Systems Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) for identifying common causes of systematic failures for digital I&C systems 4
Systems Engineering Assessment Approaches
- Identify any changes needed in the existing review guidance infrastructure to avail of the systems engineering approach, under the core or integrated team approach
- Develop a plan of follow-on work (if any) needed to implement improvements in the applicable review guidance infrastructure 5
Technical Basis for Acceptance Criteria of Software Intensive Model Based Engineering Environments
- Develop a technical basis to enable consistent evaluation of submittals that use Software Intensive Model Based Engineering Environments and Correct-by-Construction (CbyC) Methods
- Research will include evaluation of others methods or guidance in regard to the review of systems developed using Model Based Engineering Environments or CbyC techniques 6
Technical Basis for Evaluating Operating Experience
- Improve staffs I&C regulatory reviews and system inspections by supporting staff in verifying industrys claims regarding equipment reliability using available operating experience
- Develop or grade the current methods and/or tools for evaluating reliability claims
- Investigate the technical bases for quantitative or qualitative methods or practices that rely on operating experience to ensure reliability 7
Evaluate adequacy of STPA for identifying common causes of systematic failures for digital I&C systems
- Assess the feasibility and limits of accepting STPA-informed evidence as a substitute for traditional diversity within a design (point 2 of SRM to SECY 93-087, Policy, Technical, and Licensing Issues Pertaining to Evolutionary and Advanced Light-Water Reactor (ALWR) Designs)
- Develop NUREG that includes the technical basis for guidance to evaluate future license applications using STPA methods 8
Digital I&C - Cybersecurity-Related Research
- Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)
- Autonomous Control
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML)
- Future Focused Research (FFR)
- Wireless 9
FPGAs
- Part of a research effort associated with a cybersecurity-focused overview of novel technology implementations in Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs)
- Identify potential cybersecurity concerns with FPGAs for future nuclear applications
- Investigate whether FPGAs:
- Are inherently cyber secure
- Are not vulnerable to Internet cyber-attacks
- Assist NRC staff 10
Autonomous Control
- Part of a research effort associated with a cybersecurity-focused overview of novel technology implementations in nuclear power plants
- Vendor/applicant interest in autonomous controls for NPPs
- Identify potential cybersecurity concerns with autonomous controls for NPPs
- Understand cyber implications of the enabling technologies:
- Remote Monitoring and Operations
- Digital Twins
- AI/ML 11
AI/ML - FFR
- Prepare the NRC to regulate licensee cyber security AI/ML implementations by developing basic knowledge of the technologies and their applications
- This research effort includes:
- Identify Nuclear AI-Cybersecurity Use Case
- Develop Technical Approach
- Gather Experimental Data
- Develop and Document Insights 12
Wireless
- Perform research on use and application of secure wireless technologies in other industries
- Research motivation/purpose included:
- Potential expanded use of wireless in nuclear power plants for monitoring and control
- Cybersecurity insights from other safety-critical applications 13
Conclusion
- RES works closely with the NRC staff to produce timely and useful research
- RES work complements DOE-related research
- RES work leverages MOU and International research work to ensure that the NRC is ready for timely review future submittals 14
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