Diploma in Applying PRA to Reactor Life Extension
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in applying probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) to reactor life extension, with 8 modules covering PSA, ageing management, time-dependent reliability, risk-informed applications, external events, quantification tools and long-term operation licensing, applying IAEA SSG-3 Rev. 1, IAEA SSG-48 and 10 CFR 54, with an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Build and quantify Level 1 PSA models.
Identify ageing mechanisms that are relevant to safety.
Incorporate time-dependent degradation into reliability models.
Apply importance measures to risk-informed decisions.
Assess the risk from external and extreme events.
Use professional risk quantification tools.
Prepare technical arguments for long-term operation.
Who it's for
- PSA analysts.
- Nuclear safety engineers.
- Ageing management specialists looking to bring risk methods into their work.
- Licensing engineers.
- Reliability analysts.
- Regulatory body inspectors.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter the nuclear power sector.
What you'll work with
- IAEA SSG-3 Rev. 1 (development and application of Level 1 PSA)
- IAEA SSG-48 (ageing management and long-term operation)
- 10 CFR 54 (US NRC licence renewal requirements)
- Regulatory Guide 1.174 (risk-informed licensing basis changes)
- Regulatory Guide 1.200 (technical adequacy of PRA results)
- ASME/ANS RA-Sb-2013 (PRA standard)
- NUREG-1801 (Generic Aging Lessons Learned report)
- CSN Instruction IS-25 (Spanish requirements on PSA)
- RiskSpectrum PSA
- SAPHIRE
- CAFTA
- MATLAB
- R
8 modules
1.1Risk, frequency and consequences1.2PSA Levels 1, 2 and 31.3Initiating events and their grouping1.4Event trees1.5Fault trees and Boolean logic1.6Minimal cut sets1.7Core damage frequency and LERF1.8Generic and plant-specific reliability data1.9Common cause failures1.10Practical exercise: fault tree of an injection system
2.1Ageing mechanisms of structures and components2.2Ageing management programmes according to NUREG-18012.3IAEA Safety Guide SSG-482.4Time-limited ageing analyses2.5Environmentally assisted fatigue2.6Ageing of cables and concrete2.7Periodic safety review2.8The IAEA IGALL programme2.9SALTO missions2.10Case study: fatigue assessment of a nozzle
3.1Time-dependent failure rates3.2Weibull and Arrhenius models3.3Degradation of passive components3.4Probabilistic fracture mechanics3.5Bayesian data updating3.6Ageing of active components3.7Operational trend analysis3.8Sensitivities to the lifetime horizon3.9Epistemic and aleatory uncertainties3.10Lab: Bayesian updating of failure rates
4.1Licence changes according to RG 1.1744.2Fussell-Vesely and RAW importance measures4.3Risk-informed in-service inspection4.4Risk-informed technical specifications4.5Maintenance Rule 10 CFR 50.654.6Categorisation according to 10 CFR 50.694.7Plant risk monitor4.8CSN Instruction IS-254.9Integrated decision-making4.10Workshop: calculation of importance measures
5.1Seismic PSA and fragility curves5.2Internal and external flooding5.3Fire analysis according to NUREG/CR-68505.4Lessons from Fukushima and stress tests5.5Risk at multi-unit sites5.6Station blackout5.7FLEX strategies5.8Seismic margins5.9Extreme weather phenomena5.10Case study: seismic fragility of a tank
6.1Modelling in RiskSpectrum PSA6.2Modelling in SAPHIRE6.3Quantification and truncation value6.4Functional and human dependencies6.5Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis6.6Coupling with thermal-hydraulic analyses6.7Dynamic PSA6.8PSA quality according to ASME/ANS RA-S6.9Peer review of the model6.10Lab: quantification of core damage frequency
7.1The CSN regulatory framework7.2Licence renewal under 10 CFR 547.3Subsequent renewal up to 80 years7.4Required safety documentation7.5Independent review7.6Economic aspects of LTO7.7Relationship with the regulator7.8International experience7.9Performance indicators7.10Case study: risk case for a licence renewal
8.1Definition of the reference plant8.2Identification of ageing-sensitive components8.3Degradation modelling8.4Integration into the PSA8.5Quantification and importance analysis8.6Sensitivity and uncertainty analysis8.7Proposal of management measures8.8Report for risk-informed decision-making8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Delivered 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable materials, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so the programme fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is RiskSpectrum PSA, SAPHIRE, CAFTA, MATLAB and R, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Case studies are based on real procedures: quantification of fault trees and event trees, seismic fragility analysis of components and review of ageing management programmes. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final integrated project.
Standards covered: IAEA SSG-3 Rev. 1, IAEA SSG-48, 10 CFR 54, Regulatory Guide 1.174, Regulatory Guide 1.200, ASME/ANS RA-Sb-2013, NUREG-1801, CSN Instruction IS-25.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with RiskSpectrum PSA, SAPHIRE, CAFTA, MATLAB and R, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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