– Edited By Chris Reed –
DRS Consolidated Controls, a DRS Defense Solutions line of business, announced yesterday that it has been awarded a contract to supply Fairbanks Morse Engine with nuclear safety rated controls for emergency diesel generators. The controls will operate and monitor emergency diesel generators at the Department of Energy's Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility.
Shaw AREVA MOX Services LLC, a joint venture of The Shaw Group Inc. and AREVA, has a contract with the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to design, build and operate the facility to convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants. The facility is being built at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC.
The PLµS 32TM Digital Distributed Control System has been performing successfully in safety applications at six nuclear power plants in Asia for over ten years. Earlier analog versions continue to operate in over twenty nuclear plants throughout the United States. These controls are designed, built, and tested in accordance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements for Class 1E safety rated equipment.
"This first sale of digital safety rated controls in the U.S. is significant because it builds on our success with the PLµS 32 digital system in Asia and continues the Consolidated Controls legacy of providing robust, well designed, and fully supported systems for the nuclear market," states Jeff Armstrong, vice president, DRS Consolidated Controls. "We appreciate the confidence that Fairbanks Morse Engine places in us to make this program a success and look forward to working with them on additional opportunities to offer a comprehensive safety rated emergency diesel generator solution to the nuclear industry."
In addition to the two PLµS 32 Digital Distributed Control Systems for the emergency diesel generators, DRS Consolidated Controls will provide two safety rated digital governors and voltage regulators.
PLµS 32 is an integrated control system designed specifically for the nuclear power generation industry. PLµS 32 provides the complete spectrum of functions including loop control, logic, analog and sequential control, and data acquisition and management. The hardware and software modularity of PLµS 32 provides architectural solutions that range from control of a single subsystem to complete Engineered Safety Features and Balance of Plant systems for the power generating plant.