Diversity and Multi-Version Systems - Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control Systems for Safety and Security - page 188

Figure 2. Application of FPGA technology in the NPP I&Cs produced by RPC Radiy

high safety and reliability; processes of FPGA
project development are similar to processes of
SW-based project development. FPGA project
product is similar to HW-based project product
(hard logic); there are no any international stan-
dards determined requirements to use diversity

for the I&Cs development and application taking
into account FPGA features.
Results of a comparative analysis of chal-
lenges caused by development and application of
software- and FPGA-based multi-version systems
are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Key challenges for software-based and FPGA-based MVSs

Challenges Software-Based Multi-Version I&C FPGA-Based Multi-Version I&C

Detailed standards There are standards determining general

requirements to use of diversity

There are no special standards

Experience of development and
operation

More 20 years 6-8 years

Trustworthiness of diversity
assessment

Methods of expert-based, metrical assessment,
probabilistic methods using SRGMs

Methods of expert-based, metrical,
probabilistic (RBD), deterministic
methods

Development of MVSs Choice of diversity types, generation of really

diverse software versions

Number of diversity types
increases

Verification of MVSs Verification activities volume are significantly

increased

Verification is more simple due to
simplifying of version verification