•Implicit in such an approach is the question: "What
does each subsystem have to
do?".
•Thus the responsible engineer starts by asking
"What are the functional
requirements?".
•There are usually many ways to meet these functional
requirements and it is the
engineer’s job to find a workable solution that meets these requirements effectively – meaning an optimum of
efficiency, cost and
safety, taking society and the environment well into account.
•Past experience usually plays a large role in engineered
systems, but this is especially
true for nuclear reactors because of the stringent quality assurance requirements and high safety
standards.
•Many person-years of effort and many millions in funding
have been spent to 'get the bugs
out'. As a consequence, progress is more by systematic evolution, not revolution.
•