Short Programs

Risk-Informed Operational Decision Management: The MIT Center for Advanced Nuclear Energy Systems (CANES) One Week Summer Course [22.97s]

Date: TBD, 2011 | Tuition: $2,650 (tentative) | Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 3.0 (tentative)

PSA is in Your Future. Are You Ready?  |  Who Should Attend  |  How You Will Benefit  | 
Learning Objectives  |  What You Will Cover  |  Schedule  |  Participants' Comments  | 
Other Reasons to Attend  |  On-Site Courses  |  Discounts  |  Updates

PSA is in Your Future. Are You Ready?

A participatory and thought provoking course from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Academy for Nuclear Training.

Who Should Attend

This course is for nuclear plant and corporate managers, supervisors, engineers, and other personnel who, although not probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) practitioners, want to learn how to apply PSA results effectively.

How You Will Benefit

Increase your knowledge of PSA principles, including an understanding of the basis of PSA, its benefits and recent developments. Recognize the strengths and limitations of using PSA when making decisions. Discover ways to integrate the results of PSA into operational decision-making. Share ideas, information and challenges with industry peers.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe PSA overview and theory: probability and statistics; data analysis; event trees and fault trees; human reliability; importance measures; and risk management.
2. Appreciate how to effectively apply probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) methods.
3. Define PSA principles, including an understanding of the basis of PSA, its benefits and recent developments.
4. Distinguish the strengths and limitations of using PSA when making decisions.
5. Integrate the results of PSA into operational decision-making.
6. Share ideas, information and challenges with industry peers.
7. Assess PSA applications: apply PSA results to situations routinely encountered in nuclear power plant operations.

What You Will Cover

PSA Overview and Theory
The theoretical portion of the course provides a sound basis in PSA and covers basic probability and statistics; data analysis; event trees and fault trees; human reliability; importance measures; risk management; and much more.

PSA Applications
In this portion you learn how to apply PSA results to situations you routinely encounter in nuclear power plant operations, including the following areas:

• technical specification changes
• reactor oversight process
• Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI)
• low-power and shutdown operations
• special treatment requirements
• fire protection
• transitioning to the NFPA 805 standard
• in-service inspection
• safety monitors
• power uprates
• security threats
• risk-based analysis of operating experience
• grid reliability

Course schedule and registration times

Class begins at 8:15 am on Monday, 8:00 am on Tuesday, and
8:30 am Wednesday - Friday.

Class ends at 5:00 pm on Monday, 6:00 pm on Tuesday, 5:45 pm on Wednesday, 4:15 pm on Thursday, and 12:00 noon on Friday.

Registration is on Monday morning from 7:30 - 8:00 am.

Participants' Comments

Supervisor, PRA Group from AREVA NP
"The benefit of the course not only lies in the presentation of fundamentals by world renowned MIT staff but in the fact that it establishes the state of the practice through the integral use of industry experts as instructors."

Principal Engineer at ERIN Engineering and Research
"Provides background for beginners as well as new information for experienced persons."

Senior Manager from Exelon Nuclear
"The diversity of course participants was beneficial. Discussion with attendees from all over the world brought many insights that I have not heard from benchmarking in the United States."

Other Reasons to Attend

Increasingly, nuclear plants use PSA methods to make a variety of operational decisions. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has formalized the use of PSA in regulatory matters in Regulatory Guide 1.174, An Approach for Using Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Risk-Informed Decisions on Plant-Specific Changes to the Current Licensing Basis.

The course is held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering at MIT is a leader in education and research in all aspects of nuclear engineering. Professor George E. Apostolakis is the course director.

The course is co-sponsored with CANES by the National Academy for Nuclear Training (NANT), which operates under the auspices of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. INPO's mission is: To promote the highest levels of safety and reliability--to promote excellence--in the operation of nuclear electric generating plants. The Academy contact is Rick Reynolds (reynoldsrh@inpo.org).

Course instructors are recognized experts in their fields and are selected from distinguished university faculty, nuclear utilities, consulting firms, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. Additional presentations will be given by representatives of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

On-site Courses

We can also offer this course for groups of employees at your location. Please contact the Short Programs office for further details.

Discounts

Special discounts are available for those companies who send more than one employee to attend the same program(s). All applications should be sent at the same time to receive the discount. Course size is limited.

If you have any questions please contact the Short Programs office.

Updates

This class is tentatively planned for 2011, depending on the level of interest. Email the Short Programs office to express your interest in taking this course. Please include your industry and learning goals.