L3 MAPPS has won a contract from ENGIE Electrabel to upgrade the Tihange Unit 1 full scope operator training simulator.
The original simulator, developed by L3 MAPPS in cooperation with Tractebel ENGIE, was declared Ready For Training on March 4, 2016. The expansion project involves several modifications, and the upgraded simulator is expected to be in service in the second quarter of 2019.
“L3 MAPPS is pleased to extend its collaboration with ENGIE Electrabel and Tractebel ENGIE once again,” said Michael Chatlani, Vice President of Marketing & Sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. “We achieved great results on the first project and look forward to repeating this success.”
“The simulator expansion will enhance the training capabilities for the Tihange 1 operators to deal with unlikely emergency shutdowns if the Main Control Room becomes inoperable,” said Raphaël Reuter, ENGIE Electrabel Training Instructor. “With the expanded simulator, we will train the operators on the simulated modified plant before the changes are effective on the generating unit.”
The simulator expansion includes the addition of eight remote emergency shutdown panels (for a simulated Emergency Shutdown Room (ESR)), changes to the simulator’s Main Control Room (MCR) and plant information systems, the addition of Emergency Diesel Generator panels, and the ability to transfer plant control between the MCR and ESR using virtual panels. The L3 MAPPS Orchid® Modeling Environment-based plant models will be modified to accommodate these changes and to include a new control and protection system for the simulated plant’s two main turbines. The human-machine interface (HMI) for GE Automation’s ALSPA® ControSteam™, used for turbine control, will be simulated with L3’s Orchid Control System.
The Tihange site is located 95km southeast of Brussels along the Meuse River. Tihange 1 is a three-loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) with an electrical output of 962 MW. The plant was commissioned in 1975 and is expected to be operational until 2025.