Risk-based Engineering ― An Integrated Approach to Complex Systems - Special Reference to Nuclear Plants

The book comprehensively covers the various aspects of risk modeling and analysis in technological contexts. It pursues a systems approach to modeling risk and reliability concerns in engineering, and covers the key concepts of risk analysis and mathematical tools used to assess and account for risk in engineering problems. The relevance of incorporating risk-based structures in design and operations is also stressed, with special emphasis on the human factor and behavioral risks.

The book uses the nuclear plant, an extremely complex and high-precision engineering environment, as an example to develop the concepts discussed. The core mechanical, electronic and physical aspects of such a complex system offer an excellent platform for analyzing and creating risk-based models. The book also provides real-time case studies in a separate section to demonstrate the use of this approach. There are many limitations when it comes to applications of risk-based approaches to engineering problems. The book is structured and written in a way that addresses these key gap areas to help optimize the overall methodology.

This book serves as a textbook for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on risk and reliability in engineering. It can also be used outside the classroom for professional development courses aimed at practicing engineers or as an introduction to risk-based engineering for professionals, researchers, and students interested in the field.

Prof. Prabhakar V. Varde is an expert in the field of application of reliability and probabilistic risk assessment to nuclear plants and is currently working as Head of the Research Reactor Services Division & Senior Professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India), where he also serves in advisory and administrative capacities in Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India and the Homi Bhabha National Institute, India. He is the founder and President of the Society for Reliability & Safety (SRESA), and is one of the Chief Editors for its international journal- Life Cycle Reliability and Safety Engineering. He completed his B.E. (Mech.) from Government Engineering College Rewa in 1983, and joined BARC, Mumbai, in 1984, where he as a Shift Engineer in the Reactor Operations Division until 1995. In 1996 he received his PhD in Reliability Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, following which he has worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea and a Visiting Professor, at Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE) at University of Maryland, USA.

Prof Varde is also a consultant/specialist/Indian Expert for many international organizations, including the OECD/NEA (WGRISK) Paris, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, University of Maryland, USA, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, South Korea, etc. Based on his research & development work, he has published over 200 publications in journals and conferences, including 11 conference proceedings books.

Prof Michael Pecht is a world-renowned expert in strategic planning, design, test, and risk assessment of electronics and information systems. Prof Pecht has a BS in Physics, an MS in Electrical Engineering and an MS and PhD in Engineering Mechanics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He is a Professional Engineer, an IEEE Fellow, an ASME Fellow, an SAE Fellow and an IMAPS Fellow. He is the editor-in-chief of IEEE Access, and served as chief editor of the IEEE Transactions on Reliability for nine years, and chief editor for Microelectronics Reliability for sixteen years. He has also served on three U.S. National Academy of Science studies, two US Congressional investigations in automotive safety, and as an expert to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He is the founder and Director of CALCE (Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering) at the University of Maryland, which is funded by over 150 of the world’s leading electronics companies at more than US$6M/year. The CALCE Center received the NSF Innovation Award in 2009 and the National Defense Industries Association Award. Prof Pecht is currently a Chair Professor in Mechanical Engineering and a Professor in Applied Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computation at the University of Maryland. He has written more than twenty books on product reliability, development, use and supply chain management. He has also written a series of books of the electronics industry in China, Korea, Japan and India. He has written over 700 technical articles and has 8 patents. In 2015 he was awarded the IEEE Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Award for visionary leadership in the development of physics-of-failure-based and prognostics-based approaches to electronic packaging reliability. He was also awarded the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship. In 2013, he was awarded the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Engineering Distinguished Achievement Award. In 2011, he received the University of Maryland’s Innovation Award for his new concepts in risk management. In 2010, he received the IEEE Exceptional Technical Achievement Award for his innovations in the area of prognostics and systems health management. In 2008, he was awarded the highest reliability honor, the IEEE Reliability Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.