| | December 20228IN MY OPINIONThe digital instrumentation and control (I&C) era is undeniably upon us. For a decade, utilities have been transitioning safety- and non-safety-related I&C systems from analog to digital technologies. Now, as plant life extensions and subsequent license renewals progress, the need for safe and reliable automation is driving utilities to decide which modifications to the I&C systems are necessary to support the continued reliable and safe operation of their nuclear power plants.Considering digital I&C upgrades in the context of long-term planningAs utilities evaluate and plan long-term operation strategies for their nuclear power plants, engineers and managers are asking questions like "Should we upgrade now?" and "Is my team ready?" Answering these questions with any level of confidence requires a comprehensive look at current plant technologies in the context of where the plant is expected to be in 10 or even 20 years, also taking into consideration ongoing efforts to optimize resources and reduce costs. Importantly, as components from existing systems become obsolete, plant operators risk downtime if a part that needs to be replaced is not readily available. For nuclear power plants to be profitable,operations and maintenance costs must continue to decline, especially as renewables continue to grow and vie for market share. The I&C systems--the plant's brains and nervous system--provide automation, monitoring and controls for safety- and non-safety-related operations and include several tools that can reduce the bottom line and help nuclear power plants better compete with other energy sources. Upgrading legacy I&C systems to a cutting-edge distributed control system (DCS) can offer a data-enabled, open-interfacing system architecture and platform. Its architecture should enable a scalable design and operation of connected systems with cyber security built in at every layer. With advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning, exponential growth potential can be unleashed through modernization of plant I&C systems. New digital tools add value and generate cost savings but require an investment, including financial, schedule and outage resources for installation and training. Plant engineering teams must equip themselves with all of the tools, including expert partners, to ensure proper planning and an effective return on investment (ROI) justification that will learn buy-in from every stakeholder. It's a necessary step toward project success and a critical component of a plant's preparation and transition into the digital era.Choosing the right system for the plantA new controls platform should be an open, easily inter facing and future-proof process automation system that provides control over the plant's profitability. It should be designed to measure operational profitability improvements and have a future-proof architecture with continuous hardware life cycle assessments and process tuning capabilities. The ideal DCS will easily interface with current legacy systems and have a rejuvenating effect on them,adding new capabilities and efficiencies as if those systems were also upgraded. With the installed systems' newly expanded capabilities and enhanced human-machine interface, the updated software will simplify engineering and enrich the user experience, while providing new data that will safely drive measurable operational improvements.By Tim Frost, Principal Project Engineer, FramatomeMODERNIZING INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL SYSTEMS IN THE DIGITAL ERATim Frost
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