Guided Wave Radar System to Help Prevent Fukushima-Type Nuclear Accidents
RICHLAND, Washington, April 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — MOHR Test and Measurement LLC (MOHR), a supplier of liquid level and multiphase flow instrumentation for nuclear and other industrial applications, has signed an agreement with Utilities Service Alliance (USA), Inc., a national cooperative of electric utility companies that operate nuclear power stations, to supply Spent Fuel Pool water level measurement instrumentation (SFPI) to its member stations including Columbia, Cook, Cooper, Fermi 2, Fort Calhoun, Hope Creek, Monticello, Prairie Island, Salem, and Susquehanna.
MOHR will supply its EFP-IL SFPI system, comprised of the EFP-IL signal processor and SFP-1 level probe assembly, as a solution for U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Order EA-12-051 requiring installation of SFPI in all U.S. commercial nuclear power stations, issued in response to the Japan nuclear accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi in March 2011. Spent fuel pool monitoring helps prevent exposure and overheating of spent nuclear fuel rods following damage to the spent fuel pool by earthquake or other beyond design-basis event.
EFP-IL Signal Processor
The EFP-IL utilizes MOHR's proprietary Electric Field Perturbation (EFP) guided wave radar (GWR) technology and is uniquely capable of measuring changes in water level of as little as 0.1 in. (3 mm) through more than 1000 ft. (305 m) of coaxial cable. This remote monitoring capability helps prevent damage to system electronics that might otherwise occur during accident conditions, for instance during the earthquake, tsunami, and hydrogen explosions that occurred at the Fukushima facility.
The EFP-IL signal processor is a panel-mount instrument with rugged weatherproof enclosure and integrated graphical display, data-logging capability, and redundant battery backup system designed to provide at least 7 days of operation after loss of normal power. The EFP-IL is designed to connect to MOHR's SFP-1 liquid level probe through standard coaxial cable. The instrument provides configurable Ethernet, USB, 4-20 mA, serial, and alarm relay interfaces.
SFP-1 Spent Fuel Pool Probe Assembly
The SFP-1 probe assembly is a cantilevered unibody design that meets stringent seismic requirements using components that have demonstrated long life at nuclear temperatures and pressures. The probe is designed to provide reliable full-scale continuous level monitoring even in the presence of seawater or other contaminants and can be used in BWR or PWR spent fuel pools.
About Utilities Service Alliance, Inc. (USA)
Utilities Service Alliance, Inc., headquartered in Overland Park, KS, is a non-stock, non-profit, membership cooperative established in 1996. Its two primary objectives are to improve station safety and reliability and to reduce operating costs.
USA's membership is comprised of eight of America's leading electric utilities: American Electric Power, DTE Energy, Energy Northwest, Nebraska Public Power District, Omaha Public Power District, PPL, PSEG, and Xcel Energy. These utilities operate 14 nuclear power reactors located at 10 stations. Collectively, these stations generate 13 percent of our country's nuclear electric power. Learn more at www.usainc.org.
About MOHR
MOHR (formerly Mohr and Associates) has developed innovative test and measurement instrumentation for commercial and military nuclear applications for nearly 30 years. Learn more at http://www.mohrtm.com.
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Brandt Mohr
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