A Pre-commissioning Testbed for Online Monitoring of Nuclear Power Plant Auxiliary Power Systems Using a Digital Real-Time Simulator

A nuclear power plant (NPP) auxiliary power system and connected loads associated with nuclear safety features are essential for protecting the public health and safety. Online monitoring of this system can produce many advantages in terms of nuclear safety, operability and operating costs. However, most NPP would require retrofit modifications to install online monitoring, these being more costly than in other industries due to the strict scrutiny to ensure regulatory compliance. Digital Real-Time Simulators (DRTS) have the ability to emulate power systems with high accuracy, and hence, can provide a pre-commissioning platform for such projects where on-site commissioning may impact the desired performance metrics of a NPP. This work describes the pre-commissioning of a one such online monitoring system at a TVA NPP using a DRTS. This paper also outlines the benefits and experiences gained from such an exercise.