Stolen from Rick Cowles forum..re Nukes

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

You'll either get a big laugh over this or be really pissed. Maybe both. greenspun.com : LUSENET : Electric Utilities and Y2K : One Thread -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/reactors.html If you go to the link above and scroll way down the page, you'll come to a section captioned, "Other Plant Information". There are a dozen links to documents in this section. Browse through the titles. See the one called, "Computer-Based Digital System Failures: December 1996 - March 1997"? Given the Year 2000 problem, sounds like it would be an informative and worthwhile read, doesn't it? At least that's what I thought.

I clicked on it. This is what I got on the page which came up:

COMPUTER-BASED DIGITAL SYSTEM FAILURES: DECEMBER 1996 - MARCH 1997 ______________________________________________________

This page has been removed until it can be re-checked for accuracy.

(Effective: May 5, 1999)

I couldn't help myself. I busted out laughing. Anybody think I should buy into the explanation for pulling that page?

After awhile, though, a slow burn of anger kicked in over all the PR, legalese, and other information manipulation that clouds the whole Y2K issue. Am I being too sensitive about this? I'm feeling like I did as a youngster when I got a "Don't worry about it. You wouldn't be able to understand," or a "You don't need to know," answer to a question.

-- Bonnie Camp (bonniec@mail.odyssey.net), July 22, 1999

Answers Gosh Bonnie, It sounds like you're really pissed. (can't believe you said that :- P) But so am I! I said last year, this is like the story of Alice In Wonderland, where we fall down that rabbit hole and spend the whole rest of our visit just trying to figure out what kind of a societal system is being run there. So strange. So many different meanings for the most basic things. Almost as if someone tells you that you must now learn to write everything without any vowels. Tough thing unless you are schooled in Hebrew first. Grrrrr.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 22, 1999.

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This does not inspire confidence.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), July 22, 1999.

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Don't worry your little heads about this: COMPUTER-BASED DIGITAL SYSTEM FAILURES: DECEMBER 1996 - MARCH 1997 This page has been removed until it can be re-checked for accuracy. (Effective: May 5, 1999)

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We can be sure this has NOTHING to do with the safe shut down of nuclear power plants. All of that stuff was taken care of LONG ago. They probably just had a teensy problem with their spell checker and now that everything else is remediated, they are going back and cleaning up old files. Allay... allay... allay.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 22, 1999.

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Interesting, indeed. Verified for accuracy, eh? It was accurate enough to be online for quite awhile (two years, at least).

I just so happen to have a copy of this particular document. In fact, it was included as Appendix D to the book, "Electric Utilities and Y2k". Since the book is now out of print, I suppose I could post a .pdf copy of this appendix for anyone that's interested. Here's the intro to it:

Computer-Based Digital System Failures: December, 1996 - March, 1997

(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

The report that follows provides a summary of NRC staff results from a search and review of digital system problems at nuclear power facilities. It is reprinted here simply to illustrate the fact that there are many systems controlled by digital technology components and devices in power plants, both nuclear and fossil. While this report covers only a four month window, a review of NRC data from 1987 to 1997 finds one hundred eleven separate instances of significant digital system failures.

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

In recent years, many licensees have chosen to install computer-based digital systems for control and protection purposes to replace outdated analog equipment. As an effort to gain a better understanding of the overall reliability of digital systems currently installed in nuclear power plants, the Instrumentation and Controls Branch (HICB) tracks problems associated with these digital systems. This information can be referred to when performing reviews and inspections of future digital system retrofits or when considering new industry standards and NRC guidelines. This report presents the results of HICB's search for digital system problems or failures that occurred during the period of December 1996 through March 1997. This information was obtained through interfacing with designated instrumentation and controls contacts in each region and reviewing Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System data, Licensee Event Reports, event notifications, morning reports, inspection reports, and Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group news bulletins for information concerning digital system problems. This report should not be considered a comprehensive list of all digital system failures.

2. APPROACH

As outlined in "Proposed Plan to Track Digital System Failures," transmitted via memorandum to Jared S. Wermiel, dated December 16, 1994, HICB has undertaken two tasks in order to identify computer-based digital system problems. First, HICB maintains communication with designated instrumentation and controls contacts in each region to obtain information concerning problems associated with digital systems. Second, HICB performs a quarterly review of Nuclear Plant Reliability Data System data, Licensee Event Reports, event notifications, morning reports, inspection reports, and Nuclear Utilities Software Management Group news bulletins for digital system failure information. The problems identified during this review period were added to HICB's digital system failures database. This database contains software, hardware, electromagnetic interference, and man-machine interface problems associated with digital control and protection systems dating back to 1993.

3. RESULTS

Eleven software deficiencies were identified during this review and are shown in Table 1. Three of these problems were associated with safety-related systems. Descriptions of the problems associated with the digital data processing system at St. Lucie and the digital adjustable speed drive (ASD) modification at Washington Nuclear Project 2 are provided below.

Three digital system hardware problems were also identified during the review and are shown in Table 2. These were all associated with safety-related systems. The problems involving the gas turbine generator at Millstone and the radiation monitor remote display unit at Diablo Canyon are described below.

(rest snipped)

This is an NRC study/document, not one conducted by me. Some things are just too bizarre to be made up. I'm honest to God surprised that no one picked up on this before.

-- Rick Cowles (rcowles.remove@waterw.com), July 22, 1999.

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Hmmmm, Does check for accuracy, and check for politically correct, mean the same?

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 22, 1999.

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I suppose I could post a .pdf copy of this appendix for anyone that's interested. I'll second that emotion. :-)

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), July 22, 1999.

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Rick, I'm smacking myself upside the head. I own a copy of your book and obviously didn't look at the appendices, or didn't remember this, it's been so long. Duh! and Double Duh!! And here I was, doggedly searching for a back door way to access a report I had right on my bookshelf. After doing some pinpoint searches I had just come up with another access (and gave the NRC a gotcha!) when I read your post. Round and round we go..

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/REACTOR/DIGITAL/failure9_onhold.html

The only problem is that the link at the very bottom for "Complete Table of Digital System Failures" (the study mentions it's an ongoing process) gives you the same "page has been removed" notice. But at least a little of the info is accessible.

This study was not only U.S. centric. There is a Paluel (France) plant computer problem on the chart: "Reactor's authorized operating limits were exceeded for a prolonged period of time as a result of repeated errors in calculations, control failures, and the absence of implementation of corrective actions following the discovery of the calculation errors. Source: NucNet"

-- Bonnie Camp (bonniec@mail.odyssey.net), July 22, 1999.

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I've also discovered another page with the following contents: TABLE 1: SOFTWARE DEFICIENCIES IN DIGITAL SYSTEMS

TABLE 2: HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE PROBLEMS IN DIGITAL SYSTEMS

TABLE 3: ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE PROBLEMS IN DIGITAL SYSTEMS

TABLE 4: RANDOM HARDWARE COMPONENT FAILURES IN DIGITAL SYSTEMS

This is at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/REACTOR/DIGITAL/fail-dbr3_onhold.html

-- Bonnie Camp (bonniec@mail.odyssey.net), July 22, 1999.

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Bonnie, you've found all of the documents related to this issue (the text and all four tables). Ya saved me a lot of trouble - I'd suggest anyone that's interested in this material go to the links Bonnie has provided, then save the html - because my guess is that this stuff may not be available for long.

-- Rick Cowles (rcowles.remove@waterw.com), July 22, 1999.

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The devil is in the details, as the saying goes. Looks like a bunch of Sorcerer's Apprentice stuff to me. :-) Now, before some resident experts jump all over me for saying that, I realize we have learned and continue to learn a lot of lessons and improve the procedures in this industry. Still, this stuff is not for those who are the least bit careless or have any lapses in concentration. Gotta really stay focused in this industry, or pay the price.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 22, 1999.

-- Taz (Tassie@aol.com), July 22, 1999

Answers

Thanks, Taz. To the top.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), July 23, 1999.

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