ABSTRACT
The United States has a fleet of light water reactors that continue to operate using paper-based procedures. Here we review existing implementations of computerized procedure systems, the potential benefits, as well as their caveats. We also review U.S. regulatory requirements for computerized procedure systems in an effort to identify barriers to adoption. We conjecture that process control procedures, especially the formalized procedures used by U.S. utilities, can be viewed as E-Type Systems from a software engineering evolution perspective. After presenting this argument, we discuss corollaries from treating procedures as E-Type Systems. Based on these analyses, a strategy was formulated to aid utilities in transitioning to computerized procedure systems. And lastly, missing tooling to aid utilities in cost-effective, timely transitions is discussed.
