Nuclear power plant installing new simulator

Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station deploys Orchid simulator as next step in training efforts.

November 16, 2010

Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) has reached an agreement with L-3 Mapps to update the full scope simulator at the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station with its Orchid family of simulation products. The project is already underway with the upgraded simulator delivered at the end of the year. Recently, L-3 Mapps completed a similar upgrade to the Fort Calhoun classroom simulator.

“The Fort Calhoun simulator refurbishment is one of L-3 Mapps’ recent flagship projects and the largest U.S. nuclear power plant simulator replacement in over a decade,” said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L-3 Mapps power systems and simulation division.

L-3’s previous generation simulation software development and maintenance tools will be upgraded with elements from the company’s Orchid product family, including the Simulator Executive, Configuration Manager, Instructor Station, Network Loader, Modeling Environment, and Graphic Editor. OPPD will supply the computer hardware, Windows operating systems, and other third-party software required for the upgrade. In addition to ensuring efficient communications with the existing simulator control room’s input/output system, L-3 will provide a new interface to the emergency response facility data acquisition and display system already on site.

OPPD is one of the largest publicly owned electric utilities in the U.S., serving more than 340,000 customers in 13 southeastern Nebraska counties. The refurbished Fort Calhoun simulator, which was declared ready for training in 2006, services a single Combustion Engineering pressurized water reactor unit at the facility located 19 miles north of Omaha, NB. A power uprate is planned in 2012 to boost the 484 MW plant’s generating capacity by 75 to 80 MW.

www.L-3com.com/MAPPS

www.oppd.com

Edited by Peter Welander, pwelander@cfemedia.com

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