Case Studies

Nuclear Waste Ventilation Monitoring System

Posted in Allen Bradley PLC, Energy and Utilities, Green Technology, Infrastructure, Manufacturing Automation and Intelligence, PLC Programming

Summary

DMC developed and validated an application for monitoring a nuclear waste ventilation system.

Monitoring Station

Monitoring Station

Solution

DMC worked with a nuclear power generation company to develop a system for monitoring the ventilation system in its nuclear waste storage facility.  The PLC continuously monitors fan speed and air flow through multiple ventilation ducts.  Status indicators controlled by the PLC notify personnel of potential trouble conditions such as irregular fan speed, air flow, or sensor data.  The PLC scales analog sensor signals to the appropriate fan motor power (kW) and air flow (CFM) values or fan speed (RPM) values before interpreting the data.

DMC generated Software Development Life Cycle documents for the project and worked with the customer to validate the system.  Documentation provided includes the Software Design Description (SDD), Software Requirements Specification (SRS), Software Verification and Validation Plan and Report (SVVP and SVVR), and the Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM).

Customer Benefits

  • Ensured safety through robust monitoring system
  • Provided regulatory and quality control compliance through documentation and validation
  • Fast notification of status and potential trouble through simple, intuitive indicator system

Technologies

  • Allen Bradley Micrologix 1100 PLC
  • RSLogix 500