Contract for second Koeberg simulator
.jpg "Koeberg (Philipp P Egli)"){kind=small}
Canada's L3-MAPPS is to supply a second simulator for South Africa's Koeberg nuclear power plant. The order follows a contract earlier this year from utility Eskom to refurbish the existing simulator at the plant's operator training centre.
Canada's L3-MAPPS is to supply a second simulator for South Africa's Koeberg nuclear power plant. The order follows a contract earlier this year from utility Eskom to refurbish the existing simulator at the plant's operator training centre.
.jpg "Koeberg (Philipp P Egli)") |
| Koeberg (Image: Philipp P Egli) |
L3-MAPPS will develop main control room (MCR) panels that replicate the existing Koeberg simulator MCR panels. The company said that the simulator duplication project will be rolled out in two phase during which the existing simulator will be migrated to a full L3-MAPPS simulation environment. The first phase will consist of developing the second full scope simulator MCR and interface systems, while the second phase will see the existing simulator upgraded to more closely resemble the new simulator. These upgrades to the existing simulator will enable Eskom to use a single software configuration on both training platforms. L3-MAPPS was awarded a contract to upgrade the existing simulator in January.
The refurbished simulator, featuring L-3 MAPPS' Orchid Modelling Environment, is expected to be operational in March 2010 followed by a subsequent upgrade, with the entire simulator operating L-3 MAPPS high-fidelity models by December 2010. The software platform and upgraded models will then also be applied to the second simulator.
L-3 MAPPS completed a previous upgrade of the Koeberg simulator in May 2004, which involved updating the simulation server and replacing the reactor, reactor coolant system, reactor coolant pump, pressurizer, pressurizer relief tank and steam generator models. In 2008, L-3 MAPPS configured the simulator with OPC XML connectivity to support new rod control displays.
The two 920 MWe reactors at Koeberg began operation in 1984 and 1985. The only power reactors in Africa, they provide 6% of South Africa's needs. They are based on Areva-designed pressurized water reactors.
