Adroit Technologies

During 2010, a total of ten nuclear power stations were chosen to have their legacy Emergency Plume Gamma Monitoring Systems (EPGMS) replaced. Servelec Controls has over twenty years’ experience in the provision of EPGMS to the nuclear power generation industry. The primary function of EPGMS systems is to provide essential information to an emergency team on site to assist in the assessment of the local population's radiation dose in the unlikely event of an accidental release of radioactivity.

Storage tanks are irregular in shape and a certain amount of mathematical modelling is required to get an accurate representation of volume and, more importantly, the weight of material in each tank. In addition, countries have different emission regulations, so the ships position needed to be accurately known in order to geotag emission data.

Instead of tags, OEM sensor manufacturers and suppliers work with sensors. Different sensor interfaces can readily be included for overall management. OEM sensor manufacturers wanted a single user interface that can interact with different sensors and manufacturers in a beneficial and efficient manner.

NGC has a statutory duty under the Electricity Act 1989 to develop and maintain an efficient, co-ordinated and economical Transmission System for the supply of electricity. One of NGC’s statutory obligations is the requirement to maintain system frequency within the range 49.5Hz - 50.5Hz. This is achieved through the management of changing generation and/or demand. These services are automatic and can be required at any time to contain frequency deviations and recover it back to normal. To date these services have been provided by Generators, obliged to have a frequency control capability by virtue of their Grid Code connection conditions, and large industrial electricity consumers capable of interrupting firm loads for a required time. Given the limited number of production processes able to offer a firm interruptible load, NGC has been developing a frequency response service through the aggregation of fluctuating electrical loads. By combining a large number of cyclic demands, a relatively firm level of response can be derived and delivered when required.

Star Refrigeration’s TELSTAR control system uses the LonWorks® network. This fieldbus network has become the standard for the building management industry, which encompasses refrigeration and air conditioning. Star’s Electronic Systems Manager and Senior Development Engineers needed to source a SCADA HMI which would fulfil their data acquisition and monitoring requirements and match their networking needs. The ability to fit into LonWorks was a key requirement for the project. Adroit adopted a close, co-operative approach and adapted their SCADA HMI by writing a comprehensive interface to the LonWorks network. The Adroit SCADA HMI monitors data and performance of industrial refrigeration plants manufactured and installed by Star. In addition, the system provides an operator interface for altering plant control, with appropriate levels of security, using the TELSTAR system. The software is now the main data monitoring operator interface for TELSTAR, and is used in applications ranging from ice rinks and air conditioning to pharmaceuticals, distilling, fish processing and food storage. Star’s Development Engineers received training from Adroit, attending Adroit 2 + 1, a fast track course designed for system integrators and experienced end users, and the Adroit Advanced course. Star Refrigeration staff are now able to carry out their own in-house Adroit training for operators.

Following the Fukushima incident in Japan, EDF-Energy NGL undertook a rigorous assessment into the resilience of its fleet of UK nuclear power stations against the highly unlikely occurrence of an extreme weather or other natural event. Through this process, they identified a requirement for the provision of mobile emergency response systems which will be deployed on the occurrence of such an event.