Nuclear-plant turbine control goes digital

By Control Engineering Staff January 5, 2006

Invensys Process Systems will supply both units of American Electric Power ‘s Cook nuclear-plant, in Bridgman, MI, with Triconex electronic control systems for the main turbines and feedwater pump turbines. New digital systems will replace existing controls on a fast track to meet AEP’s implementation goals. Others will supply mechanical interfaces and installation. The two-unit plant, rated at 2,143 MW, is Michigan’s largest nuclear station, capable of serving over 1.5 million typical homes.

Invensys will supply Triconex triple-modular redundant (TMR) turbomachinery controllers. These Tricon systems will be used on each of Cook’s Unit-1 and -2 main-turbine generators, as well as each unit’s feedwater pump turbines. To capture, store, retrieve, and analyze all turbine operating data from the Tricon turbine-control systems, Invensys will supply the Trilogger high speed, high-resolution control-event recording solution.

TMR architecture is claimed to provide the highest levels of nuclear industry-required reliability by employing three, isolated, parallel control systems and extensive diagnostics integrated into a single Tricon system.

Trilogger event recorder is specially designed to match the Tricon high-frequency control scan rates, allowing high-resolution data-access and analysis for all data points relating to Cook’s turbine control.

To support comprehensive control system checkout prior to commissioning, Trisim Plus software from SimSciEsscor will model the new Triconex control architecture.

New turbine control operator interfaces will be based on Invensys/Wonderware’s InTouch human-machine interface software.

Data will be maintained in the Wonderware IndustrialSQL Server real-time plant historian.

— Richard Phelps, senior editor, Control Engineering richard.phelps@reedbusiness.com