A method for evaluating the reliability of complex multiple redundant systems

Analysis of petrochemical and nuclear power plants increasingly requires complex, interconnected systems with multiple redundancy to be evaluated not in isolation, but rather interactively with other sustems. A current limitation of most computer codes to evaluate the reliability of such plants is the high computing costs. The technique described in this paper shows how it is possible to evaluate the reliability of large systems in a cost-effective manner. A typical problem is 30 subsystems each with 30 components.