AMS Corporation was recently awarded two Phase II research and development (R&D) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), totaling approximately $2 million USD. The Phase II projects build upon completed Phase I projects and will be developed and completed over a two-year span.
The first Phase II project, “Health Monitoring of Digital I&C Systems Using Online Electromagnetic Measurements”, will develop a passive condition monitoring system (hardware and software) that acquires and analyzes electromagnetic (EMC) emissions to determine the health and condition of I&C systems in nuclear power plants. By employing such a system, nuclear plant operators will be able to more proactively maintain their instrumentation and control systems, improve plant safety, increase plant availability and reliability, reduce risks to operation, and limit the number and duration of unplanned shutdowns.
The second Phase II award, “Fault Detection of Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems Using Integrated Electromagnetic Compatibility and Automated Functional Testing”, will design and develop a device that integrates electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and automated functional testing to enable comprehensive assessment and fault detection of digital I&C systems. Conventional EMC testing limitations can allow faults to go undetected in nuclear power plant digital systems. This Phase II project demonstrates a unique solution for advancing the current state-of-the-art in EMC testing to identify faults and ensure the safe and reliable operation of digital devices in nuclear facilities.
