Work will commence immediately and the upgraded simulator is expected to return to service in the third quarter of 2016.
"L-3 MAPPS has enjoyed an excellent relationship with NA-SA since we first took on the development of the Orchid®-based Embalse full scope simulator in 2010," said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L-3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. "We are honored that NA-SA continues to place their trust in us to further develop the simulator, the most modern CANDU* plant simulator in the world."
"NA-SA and L-3 MAPPS put the Embalse full scope simulator into service in 2013 and we have experienced very positive training results since then," said Rubén Semmoloni, Embalse NPP life-extension project director for NA-SA. "The simulator plays a key role in the ongoing training of our operators and will continue to be important as we extend the life of the plant for another 30 years."
Since the full scope simulator was put into service in the first quarter of 2013, the Embalse plant has been through numerous design changes in response to NA-SA’s ongoing plant refurbishment. The simulator upgrade is intended to reflect these design changes, including updates to the shutdown control systems, introduction of larger emergency diesel generators, improvements to the emergency core cooling system, addition of a new turbine control system, and a power uprate involving several thermal-hydraulic systems to increase the gross capacity of the plant from 648 MWe to 683 MWe. The project will also see an update to the Digital Control Computer emulation provided by L-3 MAPPS.
The simulator’s main control room panels will also be updated with numerous modifications, including the addition of simulated human-machine interfaces for the ABB Symphony Harmony turbine controls and ABB UNITROL 6800 Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) control terminal.
The simulator’s instructor booth will be enhanced to include L-3 MAPPS’ revamped audio-visual recording and playback system, Orchid Multimedia Manager. Orchid Multimedia Manager will be used to record inputs from six new high-zoom digital cameras and six digital microphones to be added overhead in the simulator main control room. Orchid Multimedia Manager’s advanced features and professional surveillance-grade interface will make it easy to monitor and follow Embalse trainees during simulator training sessions. The audio and video recordings, synchronized with the simulator, will make debriefing sessions much more informative and aid instructors to explain what actions and/or behaviors should be corrected.
The Embalse nuclear power station is one of two operational nuclear power plants in Argentina. It is located on the southern shore of a reservoir on the Rio Tercero, near the city of Embalse in Córdoba Province, 110 kilometers southwest of Córdoba City. The single unit at Embalse is a CANDU pressurized heavy water reactor with a net output of 600 MWe, which went into commercial operation on January 20, 1984. Embalse also produces the cobalt-60 radioisotope, which is used for medical and industrial applications.
