Dependability assessment of ITER cask & plug remote handling system during nuclear maintenance operations.

Highlights • An exploratory risk analysis of ITER Cask & Plug Remote Handling System has been performed under a system engineering approach considering the CPRHS in various operational states with the associated loads. • A Functional Breakdown Structure was developed from the 4 main functions fulfilled by the CPRHS: to dock, to handle, to transport and to confine. • A Failure Mode Effects & Criticality Analysis has been made by identifying potential failures of basic functions to be fulfilled by CPRHS. • A sensitivity analysis on maintenance duration by means of statistics approach, the failure modes of CPRHS basic functions were introduced in the schedule Primavera Risk Analysis software. • CPRHS availability and operations time were then addressed while considering the impact of the failure modes on maintenance operations time and the benefit of mitigation actions. Abstract Since the ITER Casks will be not shielded, human access will be forbidden in trajectory zones and, in the event of failure of Cask and Plug Remote Handling System (CPRHS) functions, rescue operations will have to be remotely conducted. As potential failure modes could be severe in terms of time to repair, an inventory of CPRHS function outages and a risk analysis have been made at each stage of a diagnostic port plug maintenance process. CPRHS availability has been calculated in the framework of a RAMI analysis and the resulting time to perform the CPRHS operations for the maintenance of 2 Equatorial Port Plugs (EPP) has been confirmed by using a probabilistic Monte Carlo approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]