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The Opal Reactor’s I&C

Systems

Charles R Morris

Ex Group Leader Instrumentation and Control OPAL Engineering

From a January 12 2007 IAEA Presentation

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Topics OPAL General Information Instrumentation Interconnection Reactor Protection Systems Post Accident Monitoring System Reactor Control and Monitoring System Human Machine Interface Radiation Monitoring

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The OPAL Facility

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OPAL Reactor General

Information

OPAL stands for Open Pool Australian Lightwater reactor. Designed by INVAP Argentina

20 MWth core power, which correlates to a flux of 1014 neutrons per cm2 per second

Compact core (approx 450mm cubed) compatible with non pressurized cooling system

Upwards forced cooling of reactor core, no pumps needed for core cooling once shutdown

D2O reflector with intermediate cooling system

35 Day Operating Cycle with 2 Day Refueling

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Reactor Pool

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Instrumentation Interconnection

Main Control

Room

Emergency Control

Centre

Reactor Control and

Monitoring System (RCMS)

Cat 2

Post Accident Monitoring

System (PAM) Cat 1

First Reactor Protection

System (FRPS) Cat 1

Second Reactor

Protection

System (SRPS)

Cat 1

First Shutdown System

(FSS) Cat 1

Second Shutdown

System (SSS)

Cat 1

I

I

I

I I

Digital

Hard-wired Cat 1 Isolation Device

I

I

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Reactor Protection Systems

FRPS and SRPS Nucleonics

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OPAL Reactor Protection

Systems

First Reactor Protection System, Digital – Triplicated Triconex Systems

Functions – Fast Insertion of Control Rods

– Reactor Start Up

– Containment Energy Removal

– Reactor Containment Isolation

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FRPS Interconnection

Reactor

Trip

Tricon Train 1

Tricon Train 2

Tricon Train 3

Final Actuation

Logic Relays

Nucleonics Train 1

Nucleonics Train 2

Nucleonics Train 3

Flow

Temp

Pressure

Position

Seismic

Radiation

Power

Availability

Triconex

sampling rate too

slow to satisfy

nucleonic trip

requirements

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Second Reactor Protection

System Description

Analogue system

Foxboro Spec 200 – Analogue Technology

– Certified Class 1E (nuclear) applications.

– Operating in over 100 Nuclear Power Plants with over 1,000,000 modules in operation

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SRPS

Interconnection

SPEC 200 Train 1

SPEC 200 Train 2

SPEC 200 Train 3

Final Actuation

Logic Relays

Nucleonics

Temp

∆ Temp

∆ Pressure

Seismic

Level

FSS Failure

Reactor Trip

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Second Reactor Protection

System Function

Partial draining of

the Reflector Vessel

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Post Accident Monitoring

Duplicated System for redundancy

No Control features other then video and audio

Duplicated displays in the MCR and ECC

Spec 200 analogue system

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Reactor Control &

Monitoring System Foxboro I/A Series,

Distributed Control System

Interface to First and Second Reactor Protection Systems through read only communication

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NBEX

+13

+0

-5

NBEX

NODEBUS

CP101 CP102 CP103 CP104 CP105 CP106

NODEBUS

AUX. BDG SUBSTATION

REACTOR

NBEX

NBEX

AW51D

CBLIFT NBEX

NODEBUS

FCMS

AW51E

Main Console

CBLIFT

NODEBUS

RCMS

FU

901

FU

902

FU

601

FU

702

FU

705 FU

704

FU

706

FU

708

FU

710

COOLING TWR

+10

SRPS

PAM

FU

711

AW51D

PTS

Irradiation

Facility

Radioprot.

Reactor

Mngr

Shift

Supervisor

Health

Physics

NTD

FoxG

uard

FRPS

(Tricon)

Neutron

Beam

NAA

Rack

mounted

Desktop

Pedestal/Wall

Panel Facilities

RCMS-FCMS Architecture

Level

NBEX

FU

507

FU

404

FU

502

FU

401

FU

004

FU

006

FU

003

FU

008

FU

009

FU

005

FU

007 FU

001

FU

103

FU

105

FU

703

CNS

HUB HUB

HUB HUB

Radioprot.

Emergency

Console

Local Supervision Units (Ethernet)

SU-501 SU-502 SU-503 SU-504 SU-505 SU-506

SU-507

SU-508

SU-101 SU-102 SU-204

SU-201 SU-202 SU-203

SU-001 SU-002 SU-003 SU-601 SU-701

SU-103

SU-301

SU-510 SU-511

SU-509

SU-104

SU-514

SU-513

Nucleonic

Channels RMS

CP107

CP108 CP109 CP110

Irradiation Facility

CNS-PS

NBF &

CNS

FU

504

FU

403

FU

101

FU

505

FU

102

FU

506

FU

503

FU

402

FU

010

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Reactor Control & Monitoring

System Foxboro I/A Series DCS with two

separate functions, RCMS and FCMS

Foxboro Proprietary Communication links to the three Triconex safety trains

Modbus communication with: – Cold Neutron Source, Eurotherm controller

– Radiation Monitoring, INVAP µprocessors

– Rod Control, Siemens PLC

– Building HVAC system

– Fire Protection System

– Diesel Generators

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Primary Cooling RCMS

Display

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Typical Trip Logic RCMS Display

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Human Machine Interface

Operator Consoles – Visual Display Units driven by the RCMS

– Hardwired control and indication panels

Protection Systems Parameters

Control Rods

PAM Panel PA System, video control, trending

Dedicated function visual display units Alarm manager

Radiation Monitoring, Electrical, Irradiation Facilities

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Main Control Room

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Emergency Control Centre

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Safety Wall Panels

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Radiation Monitors

Monitoring of Liquids Liquid Effluent Monitors

Failed Fuel and Rig Monitors

Liquid Systems Monitors

Monitoring of Gases Air Effluent Monitors

Tritium Monitors

Area Monitoring (Personnel Protection) Area Radiation Monitors

Neutron Dose Rate Monitors

Monitoring of Personnel Walk Through Contamination Monitors

Wall Mounted Friskers

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Radiation Monitors

Secondary Water Stack Area

Personnel Liquid Waste Fuel

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20Mw Cherenkov Effect