Assessing the Suitability of Software Tools for System-Theoretic Process Analysis of Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Systems

Modernization of currently operational nuclear power plants is becoming increasingly important to maintain their performance and safety. Ensuring the safety of newer Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems used in modernization efforts requires hazard analysis techniques suitable for the analysis of complex and software-heavy systems. System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) has proven to be a suitable hazard analysis method for these complex I&C systems, however, its practical use is still often limited by its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature, partially due to the limitations of the tools used to perform the analysis: common Office tools such as Microsoft Excel or Visio. Conducting an STPA analysis could be simpler and more attractive with software tools specific to the method. This work introduces the requirements for these software tools and lays the foundation for further work, in which software tools will be evaluated against these requirements.