A fuzzy-based AHP-VIKOR framework for risk analysis of safety-critical systems: A case study of nuclear power plant

Abstract

The critical systems in industries such as nuclear power plants rely on various preventive methods to minimize failures or risks through efficient strategies and equipment. However, in many businesses, maintenance tasks are carried out infrequently, improperly, and without consideration for the overall state of the plant or its equipment. To choose the appropriate risk preventive approach, a thorough examination of each component’s risks in a sequential manner becomes imperative. This paper introduces the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)-VIKOR technique, a Multicriteria Decision Making Approach employed to rank the various risks prevalent in the nuclear power industry. By identifying the proper sequence of risks, this approach aims to reduce the occurrence of unfortunate mishaps, along with minimizing recovery time and costs. Five experienced researchers and experts assessed the impact of risk based on three risk criteria: Severity, Occurrence, and Detection. Utilizing the opinions and judgments of these experts, the Fuzzy AHP-VIKOR approach was employed to calculate the weight of each performance criterion and the ranking of each risk or hazard. The suggested method is designed to assist supervisors in resolving discrete problems characterized by incommensurable and conflicting criteria. This study contributes to the industry by providing a higher risk analysis incorporating various performance parameters. The paper concludes by presenting a result with the priorities of all risks in the industry using the fuzzy AHP-VIKOR method.