The instrumentation and control (I&C) system architecture, together with plant operations personnel, serves as the "central nervous system" of a nuclear power plant (NPP). Through its various constituent elements (e.g., equipment, modules, sensors, transmitters, redundancies, actuators, etc.), the plant I&C system senses basic physical parameters, monitors performance, integrates information, and makes automatic adjustments to plant operations as necessary. It also responds to failures and off-normal events, thus ensuring goals of efficient power production and safety. Essentially, the purpose of the I&C system architecture at an NPP is to enable and ensure safe and reliable power generation. Therefore, as much attention as their importance should be given for the projects involving the design, testing, operation, maintenance, licensing, operation, and modernization of I&C systems.
Nuclear utilities are facing challenges in several I&C areas with ageing and obsolete components and equipment. With license renewals and power uprates, the long-term operation and maintenance of obsolete I&C systems may not be a cost-effective and reliable option. As a consequence, the nuclear industry modernizes existing analog I&C systems to digital I&C, as well as implements new digital I&C systems in new plants. The increased functionality of the new digital I&C systems can also open up new possibilities to better support the operation and maintenance activities in the plant.
The IAEA provides an organizational setting for exchanging information in meetings and a forum to share lessons learned by producing technical documents in various technical areas. The forms of these activities are: Technical Meetings and Conferences; Coordinated Research Projects; Workshops and Training Courses, and Review Missions.
| Date | Meeting | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 Feb | Consultants' Meeting to complete the NE Series Report "Assessing and Managing Cable Ageing in NPPs" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 7-10 Feb | Consultants' Meeting to complete the CRP Report "Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Techniques used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in NPPs" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 14-17 Feb | Consultants' Meeting to complete the Nuclear Energy Series Report on "Electric Grid Reliability and Interface with Nuclear Power Plants" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 23-25 Feb | Preparatory meeting on "Newly Arising Threats in Cyber Security of Nuclear Facilities" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 2-4 Mar | Follow-up/Closing Meeting of the Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems (IERICS) Mission on the FPGA-based digital I&C platform and systems |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 9-12 May | Europe Regional Workshop RER/4/030 on "Modernization of instrumentation and control systems and control rooms in Nuclear Power Plants" |
Portoroz, Slovenia |
| 16-20 May | Technical Meeting on "Newly Arising Threats in Cyber Security of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 24-26 May | Consultancy meeting to support the Technical Working Group of Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control (TWG-NPPIC) on specific new technical areas |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 24-26 May | 23rd biennial meeting of the Technical Working Group of Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control (TWG-NPPIC) |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 26-30 Sep | 4th Workshop on "Applications of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) in NPPs" hosted by EdF |
Chatou, France |
| 24-27 Oct | China National Workshop CPR4032 on "Verification and Validation (V&V) of Digital I&C Systems in NPPs" |
Wuhan, China |
| 15-17 Nov | Expert mission reviewing the I&C cable ageing management program |
Atucha-2 NPP, Argentina |
| Date | Meeting | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12-14 Jan | Consultants' Meeting to develop guidelines and reporting format for upcoming Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems (IERICS) Missions |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 28-29 Jan | Consultants' Meeting to further develop the draft of the Nuclear Energy (NE) Series Report titled "Assessing and Managing Cable Ageing in NPPs" |
OECD, Paris, France |
|
31 Jan 6 Feb |
Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems (IERICS) mission on the prototype of the advanced digital I&C systems designed for APR-1400 NPP |
Doosan Company, Seoul, Rep. of Korea |
| 9-12 Feb | Consultants' Meeting to further develop the Coordinated Research Project (CRP) Report titled "Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Techniques used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in NPPs" | Dunaujvaros, Hungary |
| 12-15 Apr | Consultants' Meeting to define the structure, mandate, and terms of reference of a new international network of I&C experts, titled NE-ICT (Network of Excellence for Supporting the Use of I&C Technologies for the Safe and Effective Operation of NPPs) |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 4-7 May | Consultants' Meeting to draft an NE Brochure on "Preparing and Conducting Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems (IERICS) Missions in NPPs" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 11-14 May | Regional Workshop RER/4/030 on "Current challenges and resolutions in designing, implementing, testing, licensing, and operating modern I&C systems in NPPs" | Portoroz, Slovenia |
| 17-20 May | Consultants' Meeting to further develop an NE Series Report on "Technical Challenges and Solutions in Application of Digital I&C Systems in Nuclear Power Plants" |
IAEA, Vienna, Austria |
| 7-10 Jun | Research Coordination Meeting on "Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Techniques used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in NPPs" |
Richland, Washington, USA |
| 12-13 Jul | Preparation meeting of the IERICS Review Mission on the FPGA-based digital I&C systems for the reactor protection, control, and monitoring functions deployed in Ukrainian NPPs |
Kirovograd, Ukraine |
| 8-10 Sep | Follow-up/Closing Meeting of the Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems (IERICS) Mission on the prototype of the advanced digital I&C systems designed for APR-1400 NPP by Doosan Company |
Seoul, Rep. of Korea |
| 14-17 Sep | Technical Meeting on "Assessing and Managing Cable Ageing in NPPs", in cooperation with OECD/NEA and AMS, hosted by Halden Reactor Project | Halden, Norway |
|
28 Sep 1 Oct |
3rd Workshop on "Applications of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) in NPPs", hosted by AECL and McMaster University |
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| 23-26 Nov | Regional Workshop RLA/4/021 on "Digital I&C Modernization Projects" | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| 6-10 Dec | IERICS Review Mission on the FPGA-based digital I&C systems for the reactor protection, control, and monitoring functions deployed in Ukrainian NPPs | Kirovograd, Ukraine |
I&C related Technical Meetings held in 2009 and earlier are listed in the Activities Archive along with their meeting proceedings and presentation files.
A review mission titled "Independent Engineering Review of I&C Systems" (IERICS) was established in 2009 with the aim of conducting peer reviews of I&C design documents, prototype I&C systems, and actual systems already deployed in operating NPPs. The IERICS mission is performed by a group of invited subject matter experts from various IAEA Member States. The review is based on appropriate IAEA documents, such as Safety Guides and Nuclear Energy Series Reports, and its findings are summarized in a mission report, including a list of recommendations, suggestions, and identified good practices. Organizations in IAEA Member States, such as utilities, regulators, technical support organizations, research laboratories and universities can benefit from I&C technical reviews through IERICS Missions that provide a detailed technical assessment on I&C systems, as well as recommendations for improvement.
Recent IERICS Missions
The activities listed above are supported by a large pool of outstanding international experts, under the TWG-NPPIC and a newly established network titled "Network of Excellence for Supporting the Use of I&C Technologies for the Safe and Effective Operation of NPPs" (NE-ICT), representing a vast experience in design, testing, commissioning, licensing, operation, maintenance, and modernization of I&C systems in NPPs.
Terms of Reference
The IAEA recognizes the importance of the profound role the I&C systems play in the reliable, safe, efficient, and cost-effective operations of NPPs by supporting the activities of the Department of Nuclear Energy's Technical Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control (TWG-NPPIC). The group was established in March 1970. Its membership currently includes twenty Member States and three international organizations.
Activities and results of Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) can also support the technical assistance programmes provided to Member States. One such a project is the CRP titled "Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Techniques used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in NPPs". This CRP integrates and further develops certain existing monitoring and diagnostics techniques in an international multi-discipline environment. The results will help to meet the needs for advanced surveillance, diagnostics, and prognostics to support existing plants, their life extensions and power uprates, and future plant designs.
Two new 3-year CRPs have been approved recently and proposals for contributions are solicited now:
Qualification, Condition Monitoring, and Management of Aging of Low Voltage Cables in Nuclear Power Plants
Design and Engineering Aspects of the Robustness of Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants Against Malicious Acts
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-1.1 (2008) On-line Monitoring for Improving Performance of Nuclear Power Plants; Part 1: Instrument Channel Monitoring
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-1.2 (2008) On-line Monitoring for Improving Performance of Nuclear Power Plants; Part 2: Process and Component Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-1.3 (2008) The Role of I&C Systems in Power Uprating Projects in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-1.4 (2009) Implementing Digital I&C Systems in the Modernization of Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-1.5 (2009) Protecting Against Common-Cause Failures in Digital I&C Systems
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-3.10 (2010) Integration of Analog and Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Hybrid Control Rooms
IAEA TECDOC 1662 (2011) Preparing and Conducting Review Missions of Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report No. NP-T-3.12 (2011) Core Knowledge of Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA Nuclear Technology Review issued for the 2008 IAEA General Conference - Annex 5: Instrumentation and Control (I&C) Systems in Nuclear Power Plants: A Time of Transition
IAEA Nuclear Technology Review issued for the 2009 IAEA General Conference - Annex 5: Interfacing Nuclear Power Plants with the Electric Grid: the Need for Reliability amid Complexity
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report on "Assessing and Managing Cable Ageing in NPPs", D-NP-T-3.6 (to be published in 2012)
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report on "Electric Grid Reliability and Interface with NPPs", D-NG-T-3.8 (to be published in 2012)
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report on "Technical Challenges and Solutions in Application of Digital I&C Systems in NPP" (to be published in 2012)
IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report on "Results of the Coordinated Research Project titled Advanced Surveillance, Diagnostics, and Prognostics Techniques Used for Health Monitoring of Systems, Structures, and Components in Nuclear Power Plants", D-NP-T-3.14 (to be published in 2012)
No. NS-G-1.8 (2004) Design of Emergency Power Systems for Nuclear Power Plants
No. NS-G-1.3 (2002) Instrumentation and Control Systems Important to Safety in Nuclear Power Plants
No. NS-G-1.1 (2000) Software for Computer Based Systems Important to Safety in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-1402 (2004) Management of life cycle and ageing at nuclear power plants: Improved I&C maintenance
IAEA-TECDOC-1389 (2004) Managing modernization of nuclear power plant instrumentation and control systems
IAEA-TECDOC-1328 (2002) Solutions for Cost Effective Assessment of Software Based Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-1327 (2002) Harmonization of the Licensing Process for Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-1252 (2001) Information Integration in Control Rooms and Technical Offices in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-1188 (2000) Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: In-containment instrumentation and control cables, Volume I
IAEA-TECDOC-1188 (2000) Assessment and management of ageing of major nuclear power plant components important to safety: In-containment instrumentation and control cables, Volume II
IAEA-TECDOC-1147 (2000) Management of Ageing of I&C Equipment in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-1066 (1999) Specification of Requirements for Upgrades Using Digital Instrument and Control Systems
IAEA-TECDOC-1016 (1998) Modernization of Instrumentation and Control in Nuclear Power Plants
IAEA-TECDOC-932 (1997) Pilot Study on the Management of Ageing of Instrumentation and Control Cables
IAEA-TECDOC-668 (1992) The Role of Automation and Humans in Nuclear Power Plants
No. 387 (1999) Modern Instrumentation and Control for Nuclear Power Plants: A Guidebook
No. 384 (1999) Verification and Validation of Software Related to Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control
No. 239 (1984) Nuclear Power Plant Instrumentation and Control: A Guidebook
Please contact Instrumentation and Control - Contact Point if you have any questions