Comparison of IEC and IEEE standards for computer-based control systems important to safety

Many organizations worldwide develop standards that affect nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C). Two of the primary standards organizations are the US IEEE's Nuclear Power Engineering Committee (NPEC), and the IEC subcommittee on Reactor Instrumentation (SC45A). This paper surveys the contents of the two sets of standards. Opportunities for complementary use of IEEE and IEC standards are discussed.