Tecnatom has upgraded the full-scope simulator of Cofrentes nuclear power plant to incorporate the new digital turbine-driven pump and feedwater control system. This upgrading allows for training on the simulator and verification of the response of this new system prior to its implementation at the plant, scheduled for the next refuelling outage.
For several months now, Cofrentes nuclear power plant and Tecnatom have been carrying out a joint engineering study to verify the response of this new control. For this purpose, a battery of exhaustive tests was designed, covering start-up and shutdown of the plant, normal and emergency operation and other transients relating to the new system. In total, 70 tests were considered.
As a result of this study, several improvement actions have been identified regarding the response of the General Electric MarkVIe control (the system simulated on the simulator); these improvements have now been implemented and are available for training.
The result of this project has made it possible to perform up-front training on the simulator and optimise the new control, thus contributing to a more efficient and safer start-up of the system. This is an example of the use of full-scope simulators as engineering tools, in addition to their standard use as operator training tools.
