EPRI Core Protection NANTeL Practice Test

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• What is the purpose of independent software verification in safety-critical systems like NANTeL?
• What is an acceptance test in the context of RPS/NANTeL, and what does it typically include?
• Which critical safety function protects the containment barrier?
• What is the original goal of PRA?
• How do you ensure that trip annunciations reflect actual protective actions during a scram?
• Which two parameters are used to calculate risk in a PRA?
• Why is FMEA important for RPS/NANTeL?
• Which document requires that reactor coolant and containment samples be obtained and analyzed within hours after an accident and that instruments be environmentally qualified to withstand the post-LOCA containment atmosphere?
• What is the minimum subcooling requirement for RCS loops?
• Which of the following is a use case for PRA?
• Which statement about fission product barriers is correct?
• The operators scan safety significant parameters; if automatic trip or relief should have taken place, operating procedures will have operators take action.
• Explain 'design basis events' in the context of core protection.
• Which statement about ECL definitions is true?
• What type of engineer uses PRA when Incorporating Maintenance Rule?
• What is meant by 'integration testing' for NANTeL with other safety systems?
• Which of the following is a conservative assumption used to bound the design basis events?
• Which of the following is NOT a listed radiological exposure pathway?
• What is the meaning of 'defense-in-depth' in the context of plant safety?
• What type of engineer uses PRA when providing basis for risk-informed Technical Specifications?
• Describe typical operator actions following a reactor scram in an NANTeL-equipped plant.
• What is the role of independent verification in safety-related hardware protection?
• How is cross-channel data integrity verified in NANTeL?
• What is a PRA best described as?
• What four critical safety functions protect the RCS pressure boundary?
• RVLIS stands for which system?
• Which role uses PRA when Incorporating Maintenance Rule?
• Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) is also known as which of the following?
• In a pressure event, protective actions may include relief valves; depending on design, it could relieve or trip first.
• What is the main benefit of procedural compliance in implementing NANTeL protection?
• What is the purpose of channel voting in core protection?
• Which mechanism ensures that changes to safety-related software are verified by an independent party?
• How might environmental monitoring influence the operation of the core protection system?
• This is the highest value for a specified parameter that a piece of equipment is designed to survive and remain operational. In some cases, this is the value where the equipment was tested
• Which statement is NOT an attribute of a PRA?
• What is a tool used to evaluate risk / safety significance and is useful when making decisions regarding plant operation?
• What two major effects can radiological accidents have on the environment and inhabitants?
• State the sequence that correctly represents the first three levels in the hierarchy of safety parameter limits.
• The point where the equipment actually fails is somewhere above the design limit.
• Which term describes the ongoing monitoring required to verify operability and licensing compliance of an LCO?
• Identify ways a core can fail.
• Which system responds in a BWR during a small LOCA to ECCS?
• Which elements are included in the plant's layered protection system?
• What is the first line of defense in nuclear safety?
• Which factor is central to anomaly monitoring in cyber security for safety-critical I&C?
• In a PWR shutdown, the heat sink for steam is typically either the condenser or the atmosphere.
• During natural circulation, what is true about steam generator pressures?
• During natural circulation in a PWR, the RCS hot leg temperatures tend to be
• What is a 'proof-test' and why is it important for NANTeL?
• Which Emergency Classification Level is described as actual or likely major failures of plant functions needed for protection of the public?
• Which task is typical of Design Engineers using PRA?
• The optimal recovery concept aims to minimize which two things?
• In a large LOCA in a BWR, ECCS response comprises which combination?
• What is a trip bypass, and under what circumstances might it be used in core protection?
• A key difference between deterministic analysis and PRA is that deterministic analysis is based on conservative assumptions, while PRA uses what?
• What is a trip setpoint margin and why is it important?
• What is the primary purpose of hardware diversity in NANTeL channel design?
• Why are test and surveillance frequencies specified in safety system design important?
• Surface Contamination can result in contamination of which three areas?
• What is the significance of channel health flags in NANTeL?
• Which Emergency Classification Level is described as actual or imminent substantial core degradation or melting with potential for loss of containment integrity?
• What does defense-in-depth embody in core protection?
• All alarms or actions before this point should prevent the equipment from reaching the Tech Spec Limit. The plant licensing basis.
• What is the second most prevalent hydrogen hazard source and where is it found?
• Which of the following is a BWR indication of a DBA?
• Which practice best describes cross-channel data integrity verification in a voting protection system?
• Which LOCA scenario is used as an example of a DBA-BWR?
• What is the primary safety concern for nuclear power plant operations?
• What is the purpose of cross-strapping power supplies in a multi-channel protection system?
• What is the purpose of hot standby hardware in the protection system?
• How can alarm thresholds be adjusted in response to environmental monitoring?
• Which option lists the four major sections of an LCO?
• Post-accident instrumentation must be environmentally qualified to withstand which conditions in the post-LOCA containment atmosphere?
• What is setpoint drift monitoring and how is it implemented in NANTeL?
• Which accident type involves an arbitrary rupture of pipes up to complete severance of the largest pipe in the nuclear system process barrier?
• What is the most prevalent hydrogen source after a design basis LOCA (chronic source of hydrogen)?
• In natural circulation, the RCS cold leg temperature is at the saturation temperature.
• The Baseline for plant configuration to mitigate the various design basis events is described by which item?
• What is the primary use of PRA in plant decision-making?
• What is the importance of procedural compliance in implementing NANTeL protection?
• During natural circulation, what is true about RCS core exit thermocouple temperatures?
• Which statement best describes the purpose of defense-in-depth in nuclear safety?
• _____ and _____ ECL actions are taken before reaching the off-site limits of 10 CFR 20.
• Which of the following is a PWR indication of a design basis accident (DBA)?
• Which option correctly identifies a method used to prevent contamination buildup by lowering pressure and temperature?
• Which document describes how operators should respond to abnormal operating conditions?
• If safety significant parameters deviate too far, protective actions may be automatic trip or relief; sometimes both.
• PRA stands for which term?
• Safety limits are established to:
• Which group uses PRA for incorporating the Maintenance Rule (10 CFR 50.65)?
• How are calibration and drift addressed for core protection sensors?
• Which option best describes the focus of accident mitigation?
• What is the role of alarm annunciations during a core protection event?
• How does NANTeL ensure software integrity for safety-critical logic?
• Containment integrity protects which part of the plant?
• How is the primary safety concern achieved?
• Which ECL is described as actual or potential substantial degradation of the level of safety of the plant?
• Which statement best describes hydrogen management in containment for both BWR and PWR?
• LOCA stands for Loss Of Coolant Accident.
• Which barrier is the first fission product barrier?
• Describe logic fault tolerance in RPS/NANTeL.
• How does NANTeL ensure proper seismically qualified operation?
• PRA aims to identify plant vulnerabilities after analyzing severe accident behavior. Which of the following best restates this goal?
• Which features contribute to logic fault tolerance in RPS/NANTeL?
• Which term describes the plant's licensing limit that the design aims to stay below to ensure safety margins?
• FSAR stands for Final Safety Analysis Report.
• Which term describes accidents that a nuclear power plant must be designed and built to withstand?
• How does degraded channel status influence trip decisions?
• Plant modifications have no effect on the plant's core damage frequency (CDF).
• BWRs use which gas in their dry wells to prevent a flammable mixture of O2 and H2?
• The FSAR accident analysis aims to ensure radiological effects are within acceptable limits.
• What does environmental qualification verify?
• The focus of accident mitigation is which of the following?
• What are the three fission product barriers?
• What is the primary purpose of 'hot standby' hardware in a protection system?
• PRA is used when performing significance determinations within the Significance Determination Process.
• Explain the concept of a 'voter' in 2oo3 protection logic and its consequence on tripping.
• What is a key benefit of a 2oo3 protection scheme?
• Which regulatory limit is cited as the boundary for off-site exposure in emergency planning?
• Which barrier is the second fission product barrier?
• The job of the accident analysis in the FSAR is to evaluate the worst radiological accidents and _____.
• Which LOCA scenario is used as an example of a DBA-PWR?
• PRA uses a mathematical model of all important plant systems being used in the plant.
• A Design Basis Accident (DBA) is typically which of the following?
• What is the role of instrumentation calibration in preventing incorrect trips?
• Accidents are defined as which of the following?
• BWRs and PWRs have what to remove hydrogen from containment?
• Which of the following is a critical parameter monitored during accident conditions for a BWR?
• Which of the following lists the four Emergency Classification Levels?
• In PRA design context, adverse consequences are typically defined as what?
• Limits on the specific nuclear process variables imposed by technical specifications to ensure the integrity of the fission product barriers are called what?
• What is the role of regulatory guidance (e.g., NRC standards) in NANTeL system design?
• These specify the minimum acceptable levels of system performance necessary to assure safe operation of the facility.
• What is meant by 'safety-related hardware' and how is it protected from tampering?
• What ranks components and systems in their order of risk/importance to the plant?
• Which arrangement best achieves safety function independence?
• PRA is a mathematical model based on industry-generic data for critical components.
• What is the final element in the hierarchy of safety parameter limits?
• Which item is a safety limit specifically used to prevent Departure from Nucleate Boiling in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)?
• What is the primary objective of robust fault detection in NANTeL?
• Possible radiation exposure paths include:
• In the hierarchy of safety parameter limits, which item comes directly after "Normal Automatic Controls"?
• Large early release frequency is the probability of a significant radiation release within the early phase after an accident.
• For a moderate LOCA in a BWR, which set of systems are involved in the ECCS response?
• Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) is defined as which of the following?
• DBA are accidents that a Nuclear Power Plant must be designed and built to withstand without loss to which of the following?
• What is a key difference between deterministic analyses and PRA?
• What is defense-in-depth and how does it apply to core protection?
• Which system is designed to prevent the contamination building from exceeding design values?
• Core damage frequency in PRA refers to the probability of which event?
• If minimum operability conditions are not met for an LCO, which section informs the operator of actions to take?
• Which group uses PRA when: Installing new safety-related equipment to the plant; Adding a backup cooling supply to a piece of safety-related equipment; Changing control room indications; Replacing an AOV with an MOV; Changing failure mode of equipment?
• Which statement about DBA is true?
• Which approach helps NANTeL handle calibration of diverse sensors without cross-talk?
• Which components are included in a formal software lifecycle for safety-critical systems?
• Which barrier contains radionuclides that escaped cladding or were produced outside cladding?
• The original goal of PRA includes which of the following?
• During a PWR shutdown, steam is not sent to the turbine to generate electricity.
• Use PRA when: Supporting justifications for continued operation; Incorporating Maintenance Rule (10 CFR 50.65); Using the Mitigating Systems Performance Index (MSPI); Determining risk factors for on-line work activities; Providing input for plant testing. Which group is this describing?
• What is an 'injection test' and how is it used in safety system testing?
• Explain the term 'graceful degradation' in safety systems.
• Which term is used as an alternate designation for PRA?
• What is the purpose of separation of duties and access control for safety systems?
• Which option lists all three ways the core cannot fully remove heat created by the fuel?
• Which role uses PRA when providing basis for risk-informed Technical Specifications?
• Describe how environmental factors can impact NANTeL hardware.
• What are the four critical safety functions that protect the fuel pellet and cladding?
• Which parameter monitors containment pressure?
• Which Emergency Classification Level corresponds to the most severe scenarios requiring the widest protective actions for the public?
• Defense-in-depth Accident Prevention relies on which of the following described in the FSAR?
• How do you interpret a degradation in one protection channel while others remain healthy?
• What is the purpose of cross-channel checks in sensor calibration and protection logic?
• Which statement describes the zinc paint hazard source?
• Alarms are typically initiated to notify operator of deviations; actions guided by procedures such as NOPs, AORs, and AOPs. This represents which layer of protection?
• Which barrier is the third fission product barrier?
• Evacuation of the public is only recommended if a ________ is declared.
• What are surveillance tests and what do they verify?
• Most plant parameters have controls that keep them within established setpoints - this represents which layer of protection for safety significant parameters?
• Which layer of protection includes alarms that signal operators to take action before a trip or relief occurs?
• How is safety function independence achieved in NANTeL?
• MSPI stands for Mitigating Systems Performance Index.
• How are NANTeL channels tested for functional readiness without causing a reactor trip?
• How does NANTeL address cyber security considerations in modern nuclear I&C?
• Which statement regarding MSPI use is true for Systems Engineers?
• How do post-trip signals and data logging support plant safety and analysis?
• Which barrier prevents the escape of fission products from cladding?
• What is the primary safety concern for nuclear power plant operation?
• Which of the following is NOT listed as a mitigation for spurious trips in NANTeL?
• Which ECL is described as potential degradation of the plant's level of safety and escalation to more serious emergencies?
• Describe the difference between 'nominal' and 'surveillance' tests in NANTeL.
• Which of the following is a critical parameter monitored during accident conditions in a PWR?
• Core Exit Thermocouples Temperatures are monitored in accident conditions for which reactor type?
• Which barrier holds radionuclides that have escaped from the RCS?
• What type of engineer uses PRA when installing new safety-related equipment?