The AMS Time Events Analyzer (TEA) System is a prime example of AMS capabilities for custom data acquisition. A nuclear power plant had an old, antiquated, time event paper recorder that was used for performing an emergency safeguards sequencer response time test. The legacy plant system was unsupported by the manufacturer and was a potential single point vulnerability during outages. AMS was able to replicate the functionality of the system using upgraded, modern hardware and provided software to automate the data collection and analysis, greatly reducing system complexity and providing substantial time savings during the outage.
Custom Data Acquisition Platforms
AMS Provides the Nuclear Industry with custom data acquisition equipment to satisfy surveillance requirements, replace obsolete monitoring systems, and provide enhanced diagnostic data to support long term operation. AMS functions as a system integrator, using our expertise in hardware and software development, electrical engineering, and instrumentation & control systems to develop custom data acquisition systems to meet the need of any facility.
Time Events Analyzer (TEA) System
Control Element Drive mechanism (CEDM) Diagnostic equipment
Another example of a custom data acquisition system would be the Control Element Drive mechanism (CEDM) Diagnostic equipment designed by AMS for Combustion Engineering plants. AMS developed the CEDM diagnostic system in response to aging and obsolescence issues with the current generation of CEDMs, system controls, cables, and connectors. These types of issues have led to failures which have caused reduced plant loads, reactor shutdowns, and manual or automatic reactor trips with the potential to result in millions of dollars of lost revenue. In the past, very little diagnostic data was available in the event of a failure which left the plant with very little direction on where to begin troubleshooting activities. AMS worked with the plants to develop a solution for this issue in the CEDM Diagnostic equipment. The system is designed to connect to existing test point signals during all modes of plant operation and provide automated monitoring, fault detection, and diagnostics to classify system failures, trend important parameters, log abnormal events, and localize faults.
Thermal Power Measurement Testing
AMS has developed automated Thermal Power Measurement Testing capabilities to support aging and obsolescence issues with legacy plant test equipment. These testing capabilities contain hardware and software components that integrate with plant-specific legacy procedures to streamline and expedite the acquisition and analysis process. The heat balance calculation that is used to determine reactor thermal power and Reactor Coolant System (RCS) flow rate is complex, requiring the use of very precise instrumentation to simultaneously measure fluid properties at numerous locations in the primary and secondary loops of a nuclear power plant. Prior to AMS’s automated system, plants were required to use multiple data acquisition systems and manually import and aggregate the separately acquired data to perform manual calculations and secondary computation verifications. Under these conventional test methods, this effort resulted in substantial operation and maintenance resources to complete the procedural evolution. AMS evaluated the hardware and software requirements to perform thermal power testing services and developed an improved solution with the following benefits:
- Simultaneous Hardware Connection
- Automated Data Acquisition
- Streamlined Analysis Through Custom Developed Verified and Validated (V&V) Software
- Eliminates Need for Manual Calculations and Secondary Validations.
- Rapid Reporting Capabilities
Under this revised approach, the AMS solution exceeds all legacy system performance requirements and allows for testing and procedural closeout to be completed as quickly as possible.
AMS recognizes the needs of the nuclear industry and other facilities to upgrade and replace aging and obsolete equipment before it becomes an operability issue. AMS is uniquely suited to address these problems through our over 40 years of company experience, expert engineers, and extensive background in systems and software development. For more information on custom data acquisition equipment for your facility, please contact us.