The main objectives of the Special International Nuclear Regulatory Inspection Workshop on Digital Instrumentation & Control (DI&C), which was jointly held by the Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA) Working Group on Inspection Practices (WGIP) and the Working Group on Digital Instrumentation and Control (WGDIC), were to enable inspectors and experts in digital instrumentation and control systems from different organisations to exchange information and experience regarding regulatory inspection practices on DI&C,discuss inspection issues, and develop conclusions and commendable practices (CPs).These CPs are applicable to DI&C systems in operating reactors as well as new reactors and can help verify they are designed, installed, tested, operated and maintained in accordance with the regulatory requirements, manufacturer’s design, operating recommendations and facility’s licensing bases.
This special workshop focused on the three following topics:
- inspection/treatment of software modifications;
- scope of testing;
- commercial upgrade to allow the use of not initially qualified DI&C.
These topics were selected following discussions between the two working groups and after consideration of the results of a survey sent to member countries.