1. 1
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
2. 2
Topics
OPAL General Information
Instrumentation Interconnection
Reactor Protection Systems
Post Accident Monitoring System
Reactor Control and Monitoring System
Human Machine Interface
Radiation Monitoring
4. 4
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
7. 7
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
9. 9
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
10. 10
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
11. 11
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
14. 14
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
15. 15
Reactor Control &
Monitoring System
Foxboro I/A Series,
Distributed Control
System
Interface to First and
Second Reactor
Protection Systems
through read only
communication
16. 16
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
FoxGuard
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
17. 17
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
20. 20
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
