GE Energy's nuclear business has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to upgrade the monitoring and control systems for the Forsmark Nuclear Power Station, located on Sweden's east coast.
GE is supplying Forsmarks Kraftgrupp, a subsidiary of state-run utility Vattenfall, with its Power Range Neutron Monitor (PRNM) system, based on GE’s high-speed digital technology.
The primary function of the PRNM is to monitor the reactor power level and initiate automatic protective actions to ensure compliance with plant safety limits. The system collects and processes signals from in-core detectors and communicates with the core-monitoring computer, display computer and other plant systems.
Forsmarks Kraftgrupp ordered the new PRNM equipment as part of the utility’s multi-year program to upgrade plant performance and safety systems. The new system will replace the three-unit, 3,117-megawatt plant’s original power range monitoring equipment. The operator plans to uprate the plant’s production by 410 megawatts.
The new technology will be installed in unit 2 during that reactor’s next scheduled refueling and maintenance outage in July 2006. Installation for units 1 and 3 will be performed during their respective outages in 2007.