PSR-0405 SAPHIRE 7.27.

1. NAME OR DESIGNATION OF PROGRAM:  SAPHIRE 7.27.

3. DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM OR FUNCTION

SAPHIRE can be used to model a plant's response to initiating events, quantify core damage frequencies, and identify important contributors to core damage (Level 1 PRA). The program can also be used to evaluate containment failure and release models for severe accident conditions, given that core damage has occurred (Level 2 PRA). In so doing, the analyst could build the PRA model assuming that the reactor is initially at full power, low power, or shutdown. In addition, SAPHIRE can be used to analyze both internal and external events, and it includes special features for transforming models built for internal event analysis to models for external event analysis. It can also be used in a limited manner to quantify the frequency of release consequences (Level 3 PRA). Because this software is a very detailed technical tool, users should be familiar with PRA concepts and methods used to perform such analyses.

SAPHIRE has evolved with advances in computer technology. The versions currently in use (6 and 7) run in the Microsoft Windows environment. A user-friendly interface, Graphical Evaluation Module (GEM), streamlines and automates selected SAPHIRE inputs and processes for performing event assessments.

4. METHODS

SAPHIRE contains editors or options for creating event trees and fault trees, defining accident sequences and basic event failure data, solving system fault trees and accident sequence event trees, quantifying cut sets, performing sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, documenting the results, and generating reports.

SAPHIRE capabilities for performing a PRA are summarized below.
- Graphical fault tree construction
- Graphical event tree construction
- Rule-based fault tree linking
- Fast cut set generation
- Fault tree flag sets
- Failure data
- Uncertainty analysis
- Cut set editor, slice, display, and recovery analysis tools
- Cut set path tracing
- Cut set comparison
- Cut set end state partitioning
- End state analysis xiii
- User-defined analysis types

SAPHIRE has a powerful report generation module. In addition, SAPHIRE has utility functions to recover a corrupted database, convert fault tree logic from alpha to graphics, and change user-defined constants. With SAPHIRE, a user can export the graphical fault trees and event trees to an industry standard Windows metafile.

5. RESTRICTIONS ON THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PROBLEM

Due to the complexity of and the variety of ways a fault tree can be defined it is difficult to define limits on the complexity of the problem solved by this software. It is, however, capable of solving a substantial fault tree due to efficient methods. At this time, the software can efficiently solve problems as large as other software currently used on mainframe computers.

6. TYPICAL RUNNING TIME

Running times are a function of the problem to be solved and the actions performed by the user.

8. RELATED OR AUXILIARY PROGRAMS

Graphical Evaluation Module (GEM) Versions 5.0, 7.0 for Windows 95, 98, NT.

10. REFERENCES

- S. T. Wood, K. J. Kvarfordt, C. L. Hoffman:
"Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations (SAPHIRE System Overview Manual)" NUREG/CR-6952.

- K.J. Kvarfordt, S.T. Wood, C.L. Smith:
"Systems Analysis Programs for Hands-on Integrated Reliability Evaluations
(SAPHIRE)" Vols 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, NUREG/CR-6952 INL/EXT-05-00643 (Sep.08)

11. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:  PC with Microsoft Windows.

13. SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Package includes precompiled executable for Windows operating systems.

15. NAME AND ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHORS

Contributed by: Radiation Safety Information Computational Center
                Oak Ridge National Laboratory
                Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
Developed by:   Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory
                Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA

precompiled executable for Windows systems
sample problem input
documentation