An International Phenomena Identification and Ranking Table (PIRT) Expert Elicitation Exercise for High Energy Arcing Faults (HEAFs) (NUREG-2218)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: May 2017
Date Published: January 2018

Prepared by:
K. Hamburger

Kenneth Hamburger, NRC Project Manager

Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

This report documents the results of a phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) exercise performed for nuclear power plant (NPP) high energy arc fault (HEAF) analysis applications conducted on behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research.

The PIRT exercise was performed via a facilitated expert elicitation process. In this case, the expert panel comprised six international HEAF experts. The panel was facilitated by NRC staff. The objective of a PIRT exercise is to identify key phenomena associated with the intended application and to then rank the current state of knowledge relative to each identified phenomenon. The expert panel was presented with a series of specific HEAF scenarios, each of which is based on the types of scenarios typically considered in NPP applications. Each scenario includes a figure of merit (i.e., a specific goal to be achieved in analyzing the scenario using HEAF analysis or modeling tools). Given each scenario, the panel identified phenomena that are of potential interest to an assessment based on the figure of merit. The identified phenomena are then ranked relative to their importance in predicting the figure of merit. Each phenomenon is then further ranked for the existing state of knowledge and the adequacy of existing modeling tools to predict that phenomenon.

The PIRT panel covered three HEAF scenarios and identified a number of areas potentially in need of further analysis and model development. This report discusses the results in detail.