Modeling the critical safety functions status tree of NPP using FPGA

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based systems and equipment are beginning to appear in new plants I&C applications, as well as in retrofits for operating plants, in particular for safety applications due to their capability to face the systems obsolescence since they are circuit independent. The circuits implemented can be portable to different FPGAs architectures. Moreover, they reduce complexity for regulatory approval as compared to conventional microprocessor-based systems. Critical safety function (CSF) is the most significant design concept for prioritize operator actions for NPP based on the potential threat to the three barriers (fuel cladding, primary coolant system boundary, and containment) and allows the operator to respond to these threats prior to event diagnosis. CSF has a hierarchical information structure that organizes the system variables affecting the plant safety in terms of goal-means relations. This paper describes the application of FPGA in the implementation of the CSFs status tree logic for a Westinghouse 3-loops NPP simulator