First Japanese simulator sale for L-3 MAPPS

18 September 2015

L-3 MAPPS is to supply a severe accident simulator to Westinghouse for an unnamed customer in Tokyo. The contract is L-3 MAPPS' first sale of a plant simulator into the Japanese market.

The contract to deliver a full-scale 1000 MWe pressurized water reactor simulator equipped with severe accident simulation capability is part of a larger project that Westinghouse is fulfilling for its Japanese customer, L-3 MAPPS said. The simulator is scheduled to be in service in the first quarter of 2016 and will be used to train operators to deal with both normal operations and severe accident conditions.

The simulator will be based on L-3's Orchid simulation environment and will operate within a virtual control room to provide a full-scale training environment. The virtual panels and instructor station will be made available in Japanese.

The separately licensed Modular Accident Analysis Program (MAAP5) from the Electric Power Research Institute will also be connected to the simulator. MAAP5 is used to predict the progression of light water reactor accidents including assessments of core damage and radiological transport. The simulator will also be equipped with two- and three-dimensional animated, interactive visualizations of the reactor vessel, containment building and used fuel pool to provide trainees with additional insight into the behaviour of the plant during severe accidents.

The simulator will be capable of supporting severe accident training scenarios relating to degraded reactor core conditions leading to fuel melting, including cladding oxidation and hydrogen generation, vessel failure, containment failure and fission product release.

L-3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation vice president Michael Chatlani said the new project represented the company's commitment to contributing to nuclear safety. "The project is L-3 MAPPS’ first sale into the Japanese market and we look forward to further developing our relationships in this region," he said.

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, L-3 MAPPS supplies control and simulation solutions to the marine, power generation and space sectors. As well as supplying full-scale simulators for most manufacturer's nuclear power plants, the company has also supplied digital computer control systems for Candu plants since 1970.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News