CONTROL & INSTRUMENTATION
Control & instrumentation (C&I) systems – an integral part of safety systems
In modern plant engineering, the control & instrumentation (C&I) equipment links all systems and components. It supports the control of processes and procedures, the measures to protect the plant and its components, and last but not least, the man-machine interfaces (including alarms).
The competencies of TÜV NORD Nuclear cover the entire application area of the C&I equipment. The TÜV NORD Nuclear range of services comprises the entire life cycle of analogue or digital programmable systems, beginning with the concept development and extending to the system validation, including the commissioning (V&V) and operating stages up to repairing, replacing, optimising, and modifying systems.
Comprehensive services in C&I
TÜV NORD Nuclear offers services during planning, construction and operation of nuclear facilities by providing advice, assessments and inspections in the areas of
- assessment and review of the C&I equipment under full consideration of the applicable regulatory and technical requirements,
- measurement and acquisition of operating data, including evaluation of the data,
- highly qualified protective systems for processes and components (e.g. in line with SIL, PL, IEC, KTA),
- adjustment and use of standardised systems (COTS),
- new development and/or upgrading of existing systems,
- early damage detection including damage assessment,
- measurement technology in nuclear facilities,
- electro-magnetic compatibility analyses,
- type testing as per KTA standards 3503 and 3505,
- process control computer systems,
- maintenance and control stations.
TÜV NORD Nuclear assesses safety concepts and system descriptions for compliance with the requirements of the applicable set of codes and standards, performs design reviews and participates in acceptance inspections and functional tests both at the manufacturer's shop and on site.
For the implementation of digital, computer-supported systems, TÜV NORD Nuclear offers services in the development, integration, and documentation of the software to ensure the required reliability and compliance with the safety standards (e.g. SIL, PL).
Furthermore, TÜV NORD Nuclear experts also assess servicing and maintenance concepts as well as inspection concepts for recurrent in-service inspections (ISI).
TÜV NORD Nuclear reviews the licensee's documentation ruling the plant operation (e.g. operating and emergency procedures) from the C&I perspective, participates in system testing and ISI, analyses and evaluates the testing/measurement results (regarding for instance early damage detection, causes for failures e.g. due to ageing), evaluates technical modifications, assesses incidents and events that must be reported, and provides support, if necessary, for repairing or replacing components of the C&I systems.
Standards and directives
Based on their experience in C&I technology for nuclear facilities, gained over more than forty years, TÜV NORD Nuclear experts are members of the relevant committees, such as VDI, VDE, DIN, ISO, KTA, and RSK, and contribute to updating the national and international standards and directives of C&I technology.
