Increasing power demands are driving interest in extending fuel cycles from 18 to 24 months among U.S. nuclear power plant operators. Sargent & Lundy recently shared insights on instrument setpoint calculations for the extended operations with the International Society of Automation’s ISA67 Nuclear Power Plant Standards Committee.
In a panel discussion with industry regulators and subject matter experts, Sargent & Lundy’s Nicholas Torres, who has more than 20 years of experience in the nuclear industry, including managing and designing digital upgrades and modification packages, provided details on the firm’s approach to planning and executing the instrument setpoint calculations. Torres discussed the need to determine an estimated instrument drift for the 24-month refueling interval using the existing instrument performance as the basis for the setpoint calculations.
The panel discussion was part of the ISA67 committee’s oversight of the existing instrument setpoint calculation standard needed to support the longer refueling cycles. The committee’s nuclear power industry standards are endorsed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Extending a plant’s fuel cycle from 18 to 24 months can help utilities reduce outage frequency, lower outage-related costs, and improve long-term operating efficiency. Sargent & Lundy delivers end-to-end engineering to help clients with licensing, technical analyses, surveillance strategy, plant programs, procedures, and the implementation planning for the extended service.