SES: Nuclear Electric - HIDAC

SES was chosen by Nuclear Electric to provide a new core temperature monitoring system for the Dungeness 'B' Nuclear Power station. SES chose to make use of its HIDAC product in a quadruple redundant configuration that provides a combined hardware and software solution to the complex problem of reliably monitoring the temperature within a nuclear reactor.

Each HIDAC equipment allows Nuclear Electric to monitor 256 thermocouples. Nuclear Electric employ 16 HIDACs providing a total of 4096 monitoring points.

A complex control system then takes all monitored points and builds a profile of the temperature within the reactor and provides information upon which a user will make decisions to control the temperature within tight operating parameters.

In meeting the system requirement for Dungeness SES had to meet stringent safety requirements. All hardware meets the highest environmental performance and the software was developed using a formal safety critical design methodology. The software was independently analysed by Rolls Royce Associates and awarded full MALPAS approval.

The new system has given Nuclear Electric increased confidence of the actual core temperature such that they can run the reactor more efficiently than was ever possible before. Independent estimates show that the efficiency improvements at Dungeness amount to an increased output worth £1 Million per day.