Abstract Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) supports and extends the so-called deterministic approach. PSA is not only useful for the design and construction of large and complex systems like nuclear power plants, but is additionally suitable for the optimization of the operational regimes of a given plant. The evaluation of the high-level information processing and data management in a PSA is made possible as a result of the increased computer performance and comprehensive computer programs as illustrated and discussed in this paper. Special attention is given to the PC specific evaluation because the realization of new developments in the context of PSA has been performed to a continuously increasing extent on Personal Computers (PCs) during the last years. Some detailed descriptions and test results of PC software used for fault tree analysis are shown. Concluding, a PSA—based on the best available information processing tools—is highlighted as the only promising process to design and operate large systems with regard to a minimal risk level.
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