Implementation of a database management system for the comprehensive use of severe accident risk information

A PC Windows-based and menu-driven database management system, SARD, has been developed to provide a platform for a comprehensive use of severe accident risk information in a simple, fast and efficient way. In general, the effectiveness of the database system is strongly impacted by the availability of the technical information and the level of quality of the information. In order to meet these requirements, the present database system integrates, examines, searches, and compares the large amount of probabilistic and phenomenological information contained in the severe accident risk analysis, and can also be extended for the future use of the information for various applications. For a systematic operation and management of the database, the present database system is structured with three closely related, but distinctive modules. Each of the three modules takes charge of (a) specification of the target information for the data allocation and the retrieval, (b) automatic allocation of the severe accident risk data sets into the database, and (c) fast prediction and intelligent retrieval of the user-specified scenario-based plant response and of the symptom-based event sequence information from the database. For this, the SARD menu system provides a user-friendly interface for the user to explore the contents of the database and to obtain answers to various questions. The present database management system is very useful in a number of applications including the support of the Level 2 PSA, comparison of severe accident analysis results, training and understanding of the severe accident phenomenology, and assistance in severe accident management.