Field Programmable Gate Array Technology for NPP I&Cs

Abstract

FPGA is a convenient technology that is being applied intensively to build I&CS for critical industries like NPPs. Practical experience confirms that in some cases application of the FPGA technology is much more reasonable than application of other technologies like microprocessors, etc. Experience of RPC Radiy in FPGA-based I&C development is provided in this chapter, as well as general information on FPGAs. Dependability of NPP I&CS is an important but challenging task. There are several techniques that can be applied for safety and dependability assessments, but all of them have limitations and cannot be easily applied in most cases. Sometimes combined usage of different methods is the most appropriate solution. Techniques of dependability assessment and achievement developed and used by RPC Radiy, as well as elements of the assessment methodology are briefly described.