Application of risk-based methods to optimize inspection planning for regulatory activities at nuclear power plants

As part of regulatory oversight requirements, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) staff conducts inspection activities to assess operational safety performance in nuclear power plants. Currently, guidance in these inspections is provided by procedures in the NRC Inspection Manual and issuance of Temporary Instructions defining the objectives and scope of the inspection effort. In several studies sponsored by the USNRC over the last few years, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has developed and applied methodologies for providing risk-based inspection guidance for the safety assessments of nuclear power plant systems. One recent methodology integrates insights from existing Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) studies and Individual Plant Evaluations (TPE) with information from operating experience reviews for consideration in inspection planning for either multi-disciplinary team inspections or individual inspections. In recent studies at BNL, a risk-based methodology was developed to optimize inspection planning for regulatory activities at nuclear power plants. This methodology integrates risk-based insights from the plant configuration risk profile and risk information found in existing PRA/IPE studies