L-3 MAPPS has announced it has received another order from Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to replace the input / output (I/O) system on the St. Lucie Plant full scope simulator.
The I/O system is responsible for relaying operator actions to the simulation computer and for providing operators with visual cues (indications and alarms) to operate the plant.
The project is part of FPL’s strategy to modernise the simulator and address obsolescence issues with the original components of the simulator, which were delivered 30 years ago.
Plans for the project are currently underway and are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015.
FPL’s St Lucie Plant training manager Michael Baughman said: "The I/O system replacement is an important component of our strategy to ensure that the simulator’s reliability and maintainability remain at the highest levels in support of the long-term operation of the St Lucie Plant.
"L-3 MAPPS’ Orchid® Input Output technology and the company’s past project performance are good indicators that we will achieve the desired success on the I/O replacement project."
L-3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation vice-president of marketing and salesMichael Chatlani said: "Since L-3 MAPPS introduced compact I/O systems more than five years ago, we have continued to experience high customer satisfaction levels with our approach.
"We look forward to providing another compact I/O system solution, this time for FPL, and attaining the same high level of performance."
L-3 MAPPS will deploy Beckhoff Automation’s compact I/O components with the versatile Orchid Input Output software for both the St Lucie Unit 2 full scope simulator’s main I/O system and its RM-23 radiation monitoring I/O system.
L-3 MAPPS has successfully deployed similar compact I/O systems on the Diablo Canyon (US), Embalse (Argentina), Koeberg (South Africa) and McGuire (US) full scope simulators. The same technology is also currently being implemented on the Daya Bay (China) and Tihange 1 (Belgium) full scope simulators.
For the St Lucie project, L-3 MAPPS will design passive adapter cards that will fit into the legacy I/O chassis. These will allow for a clean and simple interface with the new I/O system and eliminate the need to rewire the control room panel instruments. This will greatly reduce the simulator outage time required.
L-3 MAPPS’ compact, modular I/O solution is cost-effective, non-proprietary, reliable and widely available from numerous distributors which have a large user base worldwide. L-3 MAPPS’ Orchid Input Output software handles the engineering to electrical unit conversions and the exchange of data between the simulation computer(s) and the I/O system controllers. Orchid Input Output includes a user-friendly GUI that allows end users to easily configure, maintain and troubleshoot the entire I/O system.