Safety First in U.S. Nuclear Plants

Safety First in U.S. Nuclear Plants

from AREVA North America: Next Energy Blog by AREVA North America Blog

With digital technology at the helm of many industries such as aviation, automotive and navy nuclear, the U.S. commercial nuclear fleet is embracing digital technology to improve safety, reliability and plant availability. With significant installations in Europe and Asia, AREVA is bringing this digital technology to the United States.
The most recent example of these advancements is the first-ever installation in a U.S. nuclear plant of AREVA’s comprehensive Digital Instrumentation & Control (I&C) Reactor Protection System this June.
In a nutshell, replacing the existing analog control system with a modern digital platform enhances the facility’s capabilities to ensure safe and reliable nuclear plant operations. And in the same way that advanced Generation III+ nuclear reactor designs emphasize redundant physical safety features, the digital I&C system ensures continuous integrity with its own inherent system redundancies.
This globally proven technology is already in operation or being installed at 69 units on 40 separate sites in 14 countries, and in reactors by 10 different suppliers. Last year, AREVA became the first and only supplier in the U.S. to receive NRC approval for full plant specific application of a safety-related digital I&C system.
By first evaluating and implementing regular, intentional safety upgrades and improvements like digital I&C, the U.S. nuclear industry continues progressively operating as a safe, secure clean energy source reliably generating 20% of American households’ electricity.