BS EN 62566:2014

What is BS EN 62566 - HDL-programmed integrated circuits for NPPs about? 

BS EN 62566 is a European Standard that discusses instrumentation and control important to safety of nuclear power plants. 

BS EN 62566 provides requirements for achieving highly reliable “HDL-Programmed Devices” (HPD), for use in I&C systems of nuclear power plants performing functions of safety category A as defined by IEC 61226. 

The programming of HPDs relies on Hardware Description Languages (HDL) and related software tools. They are typically based on blank FPGAs or similar micro-electronic technologies. General-purpose integrated circuits such as microprocessors are not HPDs. 

The specific integrated circuits addressed by BS EN 62566 are:  

• Based on pre-developed micro-electronic resources 
• Developed within an I&C project 
• Developed with Hardware Description Languages (HDL) and related tools used to implement the requirements in a proper assembly of the pre-developed micro-electronic resources 

BS EN 62566 provides guidance to avoid as far as possible latent faults remaining in HPDs, and to reduce the susceptibility to single failures as well as to potential Common Cause Failures (CCF). The requirements within BS EN 62566 for clear and comprehensive documentation should facilitate the effective application of IEC 62340. 

Who is BS EN 62566 - HDL-programmed integrated circuits for NPPs for? 

BS EN 62566 on HDL-programmed integrated circuits is useful for: 

• Hardware designers 
• Nuclear power plants (NPP) 
• Atomic energy agencies 
• Atomic research organizations 
• Nuclear power plants electrical systems and equipment manufacturers 
• Operators of NPP, systems evaluators and licensors 
• Nuclear safety authorities 
• Regulatory authorities 

Why should you use BS EN 62566 - HDL-programmed integrated circuits for NPPs? 

HPDs are an integrated circuit configured for nuclear power plants I&C systems, with hardware description languages and related software tools. 

HPDs can be effective solutions to implement functions required by an I&C project. However, the verification and validation may be limited by issues such as high number of internal paths and limited observability, if the HPD has not been developed with verifiability in mind. In order to achieve the reliability required for safety I&C systems, the development of HPDs shall comply with strict process and technical requirements such as those provided by BS EN 62566, including the specification of requirements, the selection of blank integrated circuits and PDBs, the design and implementation, the verification, and the procedures for operation and maintenance. 

BS EN 62566 provides requirements on: 

• A dedicated development life-cycle addressing each phase of the development of HPDs, including specification of requirements, design, implementation, verification, integration, and validation 
• Planning and complementary activities such as modification and production 
• Selection of pre-developed components. This includes micro-electronic resources (such as a blank FPGA or CPLD) and HDL statements representing Pre-Developed Blocks (PDB) 
• Use of simplicity and deterministic principles, recognized to be of primary importance to achieve “fault-free” implementation of category A functions, e) tools used to design, implement, and verify HPDs 

It is intended that BS EN 62566 be used by hardware designers, operators of NPPs (utilities), and by regulators. Regulatory bodies can find guidance to assess important aspects such as design, implementation, verification and validation of HPDs.