L3 MAPPS to Assist ABB With Simulator Update for Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant

L3 MAPPS announced that under a contract with Swiss industrial technology company ABB it will update the simulator it provided in 2006 for DTE Energy’s Fermi 2 nuclear power plant based in Newport, Michigan. The work calls for modification of the 120-kilovolt switchyard portion of the simulator in conjunction with associated changes to the actual switchyard equipment itself and ABB’s Symphony® Plus process control system that controls it. All work is expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

“We have extensive experience on the Fermi 2 simulator and are very excited about this first opportunity to work directly with ABB and demonstrate our simulation capabilities,” said Michael Chatlani, Vice President of Marketing & Sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. “This work on the simulator will help DTE Energy’s operations personnel become familiar with the changing configuration on the electric grid and ensure successful plant operations for years to come.”

L3 MAPPS will update the simulator’s process models and provide a hardware interface consisting of a compact I/O system and power supplies that will allow the Fermi 2 plant simulation to communicate with a replica of the ABB DCS hardware and software for the 120-kilovolt switchyard. The interface and simulation will aid in factory acceptance testing by DTE Energy at ABB’s facility in Wickliffe, Ohio.

The Fermi 2 simulator is co-located with the plant in Newport, Michigan. The Fermi 2 plant is a General Electric Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) power plant that produces 1.1 million kilowatts of electricity, representing 30 percent of Michigan’s total nuclear generation capacity.

L3 MAPPS has over 30 years of experience in pioneering technological advances in the marine automation field and over 40 years of experience in delivering high-fidelity power plant simulation to leading utilities worldwide. In addition, the company has more than four decades of expertise in supplying plant computer systems for Canadian heavy water reactors. L3 MAPPS also provides targeted controls and simulation solutions to the space sector.

Image: Fermi 2 Nuclear Plant Simulator (Source: L3 MAPPS)