IN THIS ISSUE. A semi-annual report on L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation activities. Issue 45 January 2018

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1 A semi-annual report on L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation activities Issue 45 January 2018 [pages 2 & 12] IN THIS ISSUE COMPANY NEWS Years of High-Realism Power Plant Simulation SPECIAL REPORT... 4 Upgraded Krško Simulator In Service NEW BUSINESS... 5 Tihange 1 Simulator Support Working with ABB on Fermi 2 Simulator Classroom Simulators for EDF Energy CUSTOMER PROFILE... 8 NEK s Matjaž Žvar COMPANY NEWS L3 MAPPS in APAC CIO Outlook Top 25 SPECIAL REPORT Our First Simulator: Pickering A VIEW POINT Climate Change Today PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS Touch Version of Orchid Instructor Station INFO EXCHANGE Owners Circle Conference (Vienna) Out and About Upcoming Events LIGHTER SIDE... 23

2 companynews Time flies when you are having fun. In 2018, L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation business celebrates its 45th anniversary in the field of power plant simulation. It is only a coincidence that we feature our 45 years in the business in the 45th issue of simnews but it is a good coincidence. It has been 45 years since we entered the power plant simulation business in Our first project in this field the Pickering A nuclear power plant simulator was a first-of-a-kind project and involved many challenges and technological firsts. A special report in this issue of simnews is provided to give you more insight into our early days and specifically, what we did to build our first nuclear power plant simulator. Since those early days, we have come a long way. The product line has enjoyed ownership by two solid companies that have supported it with strong management and financial resources, resulting in the company s worldwide market leadership. A leading provider of power plant simulation and modeling technologies and an expert in the supply of CANDU* plant computer systems for power generation utilities worldwide, the L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation business (together with the Marine Systems and Simulation and Space Systems and Simulation businesses) was acquired by L3 Technologies from CAE in February When L3 MAPPS was formed, it hit the ground running complete with people, projects and technology dating from before the acquisition. The majority of L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation business takes place at the company s largest facility, its Montreal plant. We have had a great deal of success in the power plant simulation business. L3 MAPPS has supplied its state-ofthe-art full scope operator training simulators, classroom simulators, part-task trainers, engineering simulators, simulator Digital Control System (DCS) implementations, advanced model upgrades and rehosts, severe accident simulation and other learning technologies to numerous satisfied customers over the past 45 years. It has built highrealism power plant simulators for plants of various designs North American, European and Chinese that are installed worldwide. Our power plant simulators have received industry-wide recognition for superior training and plant operational applications. With four and a half decades of experience in developing power plant simulators, L3 MAPPS has pioneered many of the principal advances in simulator design and functionality. Even our first simulator had sophisticated features such as record, playback, controls not in agreement (commonly referred to as switch check nowadays) and full simulation of the plant computer system. We introduced the concept of global malfunctions in 1979, led the way to open computer platform systems in , introduced real-time graphical component-based simulation in 1991 (ROSE ), made severe accident simulation available on real-time simulators in 2000, made power plant simulation available over networks (including the Internet) in 2001, started applying it to high-fidelity models for design and engineering applications in 2005, introduced the most comprehensive integrated full simulation environment in 2007 (Orchid ) and in 2011 launched Learning Simulators simulators that exploit the power of 3-D visualization. L3 MAPPS 2 simnews Issue 45

3 know-how and innovative technologies have had a positive impact on the world of power plant simulation. We have perfected systems to design, develop and execute the world s most sophisticated simulators in various operating environments. L3 MAPPS has invested heavily in its software over the years and today, its industry-leading Orchid software tools are widely recognized for their robustness, their ease of use and their compatibility with one another. In a recent interview for an industry publication (Future Power Technology, November 2017), Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation, was asked how we measure success. His reply follows: We are always looking for certain things to happen as we move forward. Are we advancing the technology and our business processes? Are we making the user experience better? Are we making sure that we are not compromising quality? Are we executing our projects on time and on budget? Are our customers happy with our products and services? I am pleased to report that our scorecard on all of these considerations is in good shape. L3 MAPPS looks forward to being the best that it can be for the next 45 years as we continue to serve our esteemed customers and end users and add new discerning customers to our strong customer base. Other events in 1973 Montreal Canadiens win Stanley Cup January 1973 May 1973 June 1973 Elvis Presley's Aloha From Hawaii television special seen by more than 1 billion viewers around the world Secretariat wins Triple Crown companynews Concorde, flying at average speed of 954 mph, reduces flying time across the Atlantic by half September 1973 *CANDU is a registered trademark of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, used under license by Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group. October 1973 Bosporus Bridge is completed, joining Europe and Asia in Istanbul NASA launches the Mariner 10 Mercury probe spacecraft in November November 1973 January 2018 simnews 3

4 specialreport Upgraded Krško Simulator declared Ready For Training The full scope simulator upgrade for Slovenia s Krško Nuclear Power Plant achieved Ready For Training status on 31 August The simulator upgrade was part of Nuklearna elektrarna Krško s (NEK) Safety Upgrade Program (SUP) to modernize the plant in order to prevent severe accidents and to mitigate consequences consistent with the nuclear industry s response after the Fukushima accident. The project was delivered on time, on budget and is now operational, said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. It was again our honor to work with NEK on this challenging and fulfilling project. NEK s decision to work with L3 MAPPS has once again proven to be the right decision, said Božidar Krajnc, NEK engineering director. The simulator upgrade is an important part of our safety upgrade program. Through close cooperation between the NEK and L3 MAPPS technical teams, we now have a modern, high-performance simulator that will continue to serve our training and engineering support needs. Nuklearna elektrarna Krško operates the only nuclear power plant in Slovenia. The Krško Nuclear Power Plant, located in Vrbina in the Municipality of Krško, is equipped with a Westinghouse two-loop pressurized water reactor and has a net electrical output of 696 MWe. It is connected to the 400 kv grid, supplying power to consumer centers in Slovenia and Croatia. The plant went into commercial operation on 1 January 1983, and supplies approximately 40 percent of the total electricity produced in Slovenia. Its simulator, put into service on 31 March 2000, is primarily used to train and license main control room operators in safe and efficient plant operations. The simulator s previous UNIX operating system-based simulator was replaced with a virtualized Windows-based platform running L3 s industry-leading Orchid simulation environment. A new compact input/output (I/O) system, driven by L3 s Orchid Input Output software, was provided for the simulator s main control room and for the newly simulated emergency control room. After migrating the nuclear island and conventional island models into Orchid, various plant model upgrades were performed to reflect plant changes from the SUP. The severe accident simulation models were improved and an interactive 3-D visualization was added to the simulator to enhance visibility into simulated accidents. 4 simnews Issue 45

5 Seven-Year Support Agreement for Tihange 1 Simulator newbusiness L3 MAPPS has signed a seven-year agreement with ENGIE Electrabel to provide support services for the Tihange 1 full scope simulator located at the Tihange nuclear power plant in Huy, Belgium. L3 MAPPS is very pleased that ENGIE Electrabel has the confidence in us to support the Tihange 1 simulator, said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. We developed an excellent relationship while the simulator was being built and look forward to providing superior service for this valuable collaboration. The simulator, which has been in service since last year, is equipped with replica control room panels and is based on L3 s state-of-the-art graphical simulation PC/Windowsbased tools for the plant models and instructor station. Most plant systems are simulated in the Orchid simulation environment, including the reactor, nuclear steam supply systems, balance of plant systems, electrical AC and DC distribution systems, and I&C systems. The electrical grid, including the main generators and transformers, is modeled with FAST, a product of ENGIE Tractebel. The annual services covered by the support agreement include hosting a replica of the Tihange 1 simulator software at L3 MAPPS Montreal facility, both remote and on-site support, and regular updates to the Orchid software. The Tihange site is located 95 kilometers southeast of Brussels along the Meuse River. Tihange 1 is a three-loop Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) with an electrical output of 962 MW. The plant was commissioned in 1975 and is expected to be operational until Tihange 1 Quick Facts Source: Hullie Utility: ENGIE Electrabel Reactor Supplier: AREVA Reactor Type: PWR Capacity: 962 MWe Date of Operation: October 1975 Location: Huy, Wallonia, Belgium January 2018 simnews 5

6 newbusiness L3 MAPPS assists ABB with simulator update for Fermi 2 Under a contract with Swiss industrial technology company ABB, L3 MAPPS announced that it will update the simulator it provided in 2006 for DTE Energy s Fermi 2 nuclear power plant based in Newport, Michigan. The work calls for modification of the 120-kilovolt switchyard portion of the simulator in conjunction with associated changes to the actual switchyard equipment itself and ABB s Symphony Plus process control system that controls it. The schedule for the simulator update is closely tied to the project schedule for the actual plant switchyard update. We have extensive experience on the Fermi 2 simulator and are very excited about this first opportunity to work directly with ABB and demonstrate our simulation capabilities, said Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing & sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. This work on the simulator will help DTE Energy s operations personnel become familiar with the changing configuration on the electric grid and ensure successful plant operations for years to come. L3 MAPPS is updating the simulator s process models and providing a hardware interface consisting of a compact I/O system and power supplies that will allow the Fermi 2 plant simulation to communicate with a replica of the ABB DCS hardware and software for the 120-kilovolt switchyard. The interface and simulation will aid in factory acceptance testing by DTE Energy at ABB s facility in Wickliffe, Ohio. DTE Energy Co. is a diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Located in Newport, Michigan, the Fermi 2 plant is a General Electric Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) power plant that produces 1.1 million kilowatts of electricity, representing 30 percent of Michigan s total nuclear generation capacity. This single plant is capable of producing enough electricity to serve a city of about one million people. The Fermi 2 simulator is co-located with the plant in Newport. Fermi Unit 2 Quick Facts Utility: Detroit Edison Co. Reactor Supplier: General Electric Reactor Type: BWR Capacity: 1,215 MWe Date of Operation: January 1988 Location: Monroe County, Michigan, USA 6 simnews Issue 45

7 Two Classroom Simulators for EDF Energy s Nuclear Power Academy L3 MAPPS has been contracted by EDF Energy Nuclear Generation to supply two classroom simulators to its Nuclear Power Academy in the U.K. The project is underway and the two simulators will be put into service in the first quarter of newbusiness We are pleased that EDF Energy continues to entrust L3 MAPPS with its simulator needs, said Michael Chatlani, Vice President of Marketing & Sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. Our simulation technology is already employed at six EDF Energy facilities and will soon be added to the Nuclear Power Academy in Barnwood, Gloucester. EDF Energy is happy to work with L3 MAPPS to add two more simulators to our fleet, said Phil C. Robinson, EDF Energy s Head of Training. We look forward to receiving the new simulators to augment our robust training and to support operational safety and excellence. EDF Energy is one of the U.K. s largest energy companies and its largest producer of low-carbon electricity. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the EDF Group, one of Europe s largest energy groups. EDF Energy generates approximately one-fifth of the U.K. s electricity and employs around 15,000 people. The Nuclear Power Academy is located at EDF Energy s main operations support center in Barnwood, Gloucester. The two classroom simulators, based on the Sizewell B plant models developed by L3 MAPPS, will be on Windowsbased platforms running L3 s renowned Orchid simulation environment. The operator trainees will interact with the plant simulation via Orchid Touch Interface bays one simulator with nine bays and the other with six bays. Each bay uses three large touchscreen monitors with 1080p full HD resolution to display near life-size operable virtual control room panels. Both simulators will also be equipped with large wall-mounted screens displaying 2-D and 3-D interactive nuclear steam supply system visualizations that communicate with the plant simulation. The instructors will be able to control and monitor the simulation with Orchid Instructor Station from desktop stations and wireless tablet PCs. Three Orchid Touch Interface bays arranged for simulation-driven control room operator training in classroom environment. Sizewell B Quick Facts Utility: EDF Energy Reactor Supplier: Westinghouse Reactor Type: PWR Capacity: 1,198 MWe Date of Operation: February 1995 Location: North Leiston, Suffolk, United Kingdom January 2018 simnews 7

8 customerprofile Achieving Excellence with Nuklearna elektrarna Krško s Matjaž Žvar In March 2000, the Krško full scope simulator (FSS) went into service, providing Nuklearna elektrarna Krško (NEK) with a highly effective training platform for developing and licensing nuclear power plant operators. The simulator underwent a major upgrade recently (see the Special Report in this issue of simnews) as part of the plant s Safety Upgrade Program (SUP). The Krško Nuclear Power Plant, located in Vrbina in the Municipality of Krško, Slovenia is equipped with a Westinghouse two-loop pressurized water reactor and has a net electrical output of 696 MWe. In this issue of simnews, we catch up with Matjaž Žvar, NEK s Training Manager, to get the inside scoop. simnews: The Krško simulator has performed reliably since it was put into service in March What motivated the recent upgrade to the simulator? M. Žvar: The simulator performance was indeed reliable. NEK undertook the Safety Upgrade Program to modernize the plant to further upgrade safety measures to prevent severe accidents, and to improve the means to successfully mitigate their consequences. The content of the NEK Safety Upgrade Program is consistent with the nuclear industry s response to the Fukushima accident. This includes plant upgrades and design changes to address Design Extension Conditions and Beyond Design Basis Accidents. Part of this safety upgrade program is also a new Emergency Control Room, which will replace the existing Remote Shutdown Panels. The new Emergency Control Room added an extra load to the execution of simulation modules and required an extensive expansion of interface channels towards the simulator host computers. This was the main reason. On the other hand, the simulator was 17 years old and we wanted a more modern environment for the younger recruits in our organization. simnews: Clearly, the simulator is used for operator training and examinations. But, how else is the simulator used? M. Žvar: You are right, the majority of the time it is used for operations training, both for initial training and requalification training of licensed operators and for field operators training. Twice a year we use it for emergency drills, and right now we are validating the emergency procedures for mitigating severe accidents from our new Emergency Control Room, which is operational on our new simulator, but not yet on the plant. When the plant s Emergency Control Room becomes operational, the operators will already be trained and the procedures will be validated. There are many modifications that were installed and validated first on the simulator, and then on the plant. That s the great value of having a full scope plant-specific simulator. When the simulator is available, we also use it to explain to visitors how nuclear energy works. Usually, this is the most exciting part of the visit for them. simnews: You mentioned that the simulator is also used for field operator training, not only for the main control room personnel. Please explain. M. Žvar: In the field operators classroom, which is physically separate from the simulator main control room and on a different floor of the building, we have virtual local panels (soft panels) displayed on six 46-inch HD LED-backlit LCD touch-sensitive monitors. The graphics computer that drives these six monitors can be connected to the full scope simulator or to the classroom simulator. The classroom is also equipped with the same means of communication as are available in the plant. So, during a scenario, a field operator (or all of them), is called to the main control room for a pre-job brief with the crew about the evolution he has to perform. After the pre-job brief, he returns to the classroom, he takes the procedure and performs the task on the simulator local panels. During the implementation of emergency procedures, they are briefed over the phone about the actions to perform. Everything they do is seen on the simulator as an actual change or response obtained from their actions. Where there are multiple actions required from different participants, this is also good leadership or coordination skills training 8 simnews Issue 45

9 customerprofile for the shift foreman. Normally, a post job debrief is performed at the end. What we gain with this kind of joint training is the ability for the production manager, operations superintendent and the shift supervisors to observe the performance and the attitudes of their crew, communication training, leadership skills training, teamwork skills training, procedure usage training and so on. simnews: In all, for initial licensed operator training, continuing licensed operator training, team training, annual examinations and other simulator uses, how often is the simulator used per annum? M. Žvar: All together, the simulator is used for about 1,700 hours per year; 880 hours for initial training, 640 hours for continuing training, 160 hours for scenario validations, 32 for initial training demonstrations on the simulator. A working year has about 2,000 hours, so the simulator is, on average, used for 6 hours and 48 minutes per each working day in a year. And this is just for training; the scenario development, modifications implementation and configuration developments aren t accounted for in this time. simnews: Prior to the recent simulator upgrade, NEK was already highly proficient with maintaining and updating the simulator. Please describe the team responsible for simulator maintenance and the magnitude of enhancements implemented by NEK over the last 17 years. M. Žvar: The maintenance is done by a team of five people: three software engineers, one hardware engineer and one test engineer. Two of them are from the engineering department and three of them from the training department. The training department is responsible for, among other things, simulator hardware maintenance and simulator testing. The engineering department is responsible for the modeling and the plant model updates. All plant modifications in the preparation phase are screened to determine the impact on training and the feasibility for implementation on the simulator. Since the year 2000, there have been more than 2,000 changes, like hardware enhancements and software updates, including modeling of more than 200 plant modifications carried out by NEK. In cooperation with L3 MAAPS, six major updates have been done on the simulator. That s a lot of work for the whole team. simnews: Very impressive, indeed. Kindly describe the recent simulator upgrade project from a technical standpoint. What was new and interesting about the upgrade? M. Žvar: From the technical standpoint, we have got a lot of new enhancements, like a more user-friendly instructor station, new classroom virtual local panels, two classroom simulators (Orchid Touch Interface), upgraded severe accident simulation, 2-D and 3-D visualizations of the nuclear island, a new tablet PC for wireless instructor control, an upgraded audiovisual system and a sound system that can even produce earthquake noises. These are only the enhancements I ve noticed as an instructor, because they help me to improve the training and the ability to enhance personnel learning. If you would ask our maintenance team, they would probably give you a completely different answer. I guess the virtualization of the simulator servers would be a very interesting upgrade for them. simnews: Does NEK see a benefit in extending the 3-D visualization to other plant systems beyond the ones that are already modeled? M. Žvar: The 3-D visualization is used for more effective understanding and learning. Seeing and interacting helps you to understand the ongoing processes more efficiently, because you re engaged. In our case, we have interactive visualizations of the reactor, reactor coolant system, steam generators, containment building and the spent fuel pit. With the visualizations, operators have the ability to see additional insights of a power transient or accident transients. They can see why some actions have to be taken in a timely manner, what can worsen the situation and what can improve the accident mitigation process. The focus is more or less on the safety systems. Having other systems visualized, you could see the system behaviors during normal operation or the influence of changing some system parameters on the plant performance during normal operation. This could also be used during just-intime training sessions or procedure validations. So yes, we see many benefits in extending the 3-D visualization to other plant systems. More with Matjaž on next page January 2018 simnews 9

10 customerprofile simnews: What about the simulator upgrade project schedule? M. Žvar: Since the existing simulator was intensively in use throughout the year for training activities, it was crucial for us that the training activities would not be affected. The simulator downtime should be as short as reasonably achievable. So, the whole project was divided into two phases. Phase 1 was the upgrade of existing Krško simulator hardware and software. Phase 2 was the implementation of the new Emergency Control Room. The first phase took around 10 months and it didn t affect the training, except there were no configuration changes in the model during that time. The second phase lasted for six months, and for four months the simulator was not available for training. And as expected, if you work with L3, everything was on schedule. There were no delays; all problems were solved in time. simnews: NEK was L3 MAPPS first customer to include beyond design basis accidents on the full scope operator training simulator. There is no standard in Slovenia requiring that severe accident simulations must be included on the operator training simulator. So, why did NEK decide to include this scope on the simulator and what have you achieved with this capability since the simulator went into service in 2000? M. Žvar: We would like to have highly trained personnel involved in the emergency preparedness organization. How can you achieve that? By having high quality training and drills. How do you achieve high quality? By using the best tools available. And EPRI s MAAP4 code integrated with L3 s simulator was the tool. We were able to simulate severe accidents and when the Technical Support Center took over, all decisions were made there. The licensed operators have 160 hours of training per year, half of it is on the simulator, and in case of a severe accident, they give all the decision-making to people who have not been trained as much. The tricky part is how to give good training to the decision makers. How will they know if their decisions were appropriate? In our case, with the integrated MAAP code, we can evaluate if the decisions and suggested actions of the Technical Support Center were appropriate to mitigate the accident. Usually we have more than 200 people involved in the drills, all of them have some tasks to perform and many of the tasks influence the simulator. So, the simulator shows an integrated response of all actions to mitigate the accident that we are training on. Having the training simulator equipped with this capability has proven to be an important part of our training program. The probability for a real mobilization of the emergency preparedness organization is really, really low. But lessons learned from the Fukushima accident showed that it can happen and that it is crucial to be able to respond to beyond design basis accidents properly. We are trained and ready to act. Nowadays, our vision is to be a world leader in nuclear safety, so we are investing a lot into our Safety Upgrade Program. The simulator upgrade was part of that program. simnews: Through the recent simulator upgrade, the severe accident simulation models were also upgraded. What are the benefits that you expect from the upgraded severe accident simulation capability? M. Žvar: After the Fukushima accident, it became clear that we should consider training on the fuel in the spent fuel pit, not only the fuel in the reactor core. MAAP5 has the spent fuel pit model and that s the most valuable benefit of the upgraded severe accident simulation capability. We haven t used the new MAAP implementation in training yet, but it will be used in the future within the emergency preparedness drills. simnews: Finally, L3 MAPPS and NEK have shared a nearly 18- year history of working together. How would you characterize our relationship? M. Žvar: L3 is always there when we need support and our teams work very well together. In all of these years, we never had issues or problems that we couldn t solve with a positive spirit. As such, I would say we have an excellent relationship. 10 simnews Issue 45

11 L3 MAPPS in APAC CIO Outlook s List of Top 25 Asia-Pacific Simulation Solution Providers Only company recognized in the Nuclear Power Plant Simulation arena In November 2017, L3 MAPPS was named in APAC CIO Outlook s list of 2017 Top 25 Simulation Solution Providers in the Asia-Pacific region. APAC CIO Outlook s research acknowledges the innovative nuclear power plant learning technologies and simulation solutions provided by L3 MAPPS, as well as its customer-centric business approach. L3 MAPPS is honored to be recognized by APAC CIO Outlook, said Michael Chatlani, Vice President of Marketing & Sales for L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. This accolade affirms that our high-realism nuclear power plant simulation solutions powered by our Orchid development and simulation product suite are respected in the marketplace and serving their purpose of making the world a better, safer place. APAC CIO Outlook s research team and advisory board analyzed top management and performance of more than a thousand simulation solution providers in the Asia-Pacific region several months prior to the award. The Top 25 Simulation Solution Providers were selected by narrowing the field to companies with innovative technologies and those that have shown great promise in serving customer needs or those that came highly recommended by their current clients. L3 MAPPS is the only company chosen in the nuclear power plant simulation arena. L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation Recognized as TOP 25 SIMULATION SOLUTION PROVIDERS The annual listing of top companies providing Simulation technology solutions in the APAC region Annie Johnson Annie Johnson Managing Editor APAC CIO Outlook is a print magazine published from Silicon Valley with editorial presence in all major Asia-Pacific countries. It provides a platform for CIOs, CTOs and other senior-level IT buyers, decision makers and CXOs of solution providers to share best practices. The publication s research team focuses on companies providing innovative technology solutions in the region. Power Plant Simulation Overview video released In September 2017, L3 MAPPS released its latest Power Plant Simulation Overview video. Set to punchy rock music, it presents a quick-paced review of where we stand in the world of power plant simulation today. It has a running time of 3 minutes and features our wide array of simulation and learning technology solutions. Check it out by searching for L3 MAPPS on YouTube or by going directly to: Gentilly-2 simulator covered in Benoît Michel s biography In June 2017, Benoît Michel s biography was released in French, titled «Benoît Michel, ingénieur et gestionnaire : trente ans de carrière à Hydro-Québec» (Benoît Michel, Engineer and Manager: A 30-Year Career at Hydro-Québec). Mr. Michel s career is impressive and he is a passionate storyteller. He is a mechanical engineer who has held various positions throughout his career, including becoming Hydro-Québec s president and CEO in From 1977 to 1983, he was responsible for commissioning the Gentilly-2 nuclear generating station. What we especially like about the book is the section dedicated to the Gentilly-2 operator training simulator built by L3 MAPPS predecessor (CAE). Mr. Michel acknowledges the simulator s importance to the operator training program and how we delivered the project on time and on budget. companynews January 2018 simnews 11

12 specialreport As L3 MAPPS celebrates 45 years of success in the power plant simulation field, we look back at our first project an important project that set the stage for who we would become in the world of power plant simulation. In 1973, Ontario Hydro (now Ontario Power Generation) selected L3 MAPPS predecessor (CAE) to develop the first nuclear power training simulator for its Pickering A nuclear generating station. The first-of-a-kind project was a huge feat and the simulator was put into service in November The Pickering A simulator project was a model of good customer/vendor cooperation. Ontario Hydro provided a shift supervisor (equivalent of a senior reactor operator) to provide plant operational knowledge and testing. In addition, a very competent plant engineer was stationed at our Montreal facility for the duration of the contract to facilitate data acquisition and to understand what was being built. The Pickering A simulator was an overwhelming challenge in terms of modeling. Unlike other U.S. nuclear power plants that used basically analog or manual controls at the time, all CANDU* plants are computer controlled. Therefore, in addition to modeling all of the plant systems (with which we had limited experience), the Pickering A simulator also had to replicate the full computer control system. There were far more systems and controls than in a flight simulator, and we had difficulty sizing the simulator since we didn t fully understand the complexity of the processes taking place within a nuclear power plant. From our previous experience, a flight simulator typically used only one or two CPUs. The Pickering A simulator was configured with three CPUs. The challenge was that all these programs that ran in different computers had to talk to one another. Our electrical engineering department had to design and build the data link to connect the three computers, an interface controller to talk between the computer and the interface, and a new input/output (I/O) system to provide the required resolution. All of the data link and I/O software also had to be written. real reactor. Each one of these 14 zones was modeled based on the full implementation of the Avery model. The zones were coupled using coupling coefficients which reflect the probability that a free neutron born in the first zone would migrate to the other zone. The inputs to the model were not macroscopic cross-sections but reactivities. In addition, there was an overall single point reactor model that normalized and encompassed the values of all of the 14 individual models. Certain parameters such as Xenon buildup and decay were only modeled in the point model. The values from the single point model were used to interact with the instruments on the panels and the plant computer control models such as the Unit Power Regulator (UPR), whereas the Reactor Regulating System (RRS) interacted with both the 14 zonal models and the single point model. The Avery model was very computationally effective, since none of the current core models could ever run in realtime on the computers available in In addition, the Avery model was used by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) in the plant design. At the same time, we needed a new computer and selected the Texas Instruments TI-980A. But this computer had no software. We had to write the operating system and the editors, compilers, linkers, executive, real time dispatcher, debuggers all the system software! It was phenomenally good software. It had to be there was no Plan B. Once we had it, it would be used for all other simulators that followed for the next decade. Back then, simulation was really an art. Now people take for granted how much processing power is behind the computers they use and don't really need to care, because they have computers that are one twentieth the price, 10,000 times more powerful and thousands of times more accurate than the ones we employed on the Pickering A simulator project. In the early 1970s, the reactor core model was based on Avery s (1958) method for solving the diffusion equations. The resulting core model used a small number of nodes to represent the 14 reactivity control zones for flux tilt spatial control core and a single energy group. The Pickering A simulator used seven radial zones and two axial zones for a total of 14 zones. These 14 zones corresponded one-to-one to the 14 actual zones controlled by the light water Liquid Level Zone (LLZ) controllers in the Pickering A Simulator: The first nuclear power plant simulator in Canada Ontario Hydro technical support staff at simulator in November George Bereznai on far right. Even though there was so much work performed for this first-of-a-kind project, the Pickering A full scope simulator was successfully put into service in November As can be imagined, it was a huge team effort involving many engineering disciplines from both Ontario Hydro and CAE. Nevertheless, we must specifically thank a few key players that spearheaded the development and validation of the Pickering A simulator back then: 12 simnews Issue 45

13 George Bereznai: George was the training department representative from Ontario Hydro, leader of the Ontario Hydro model developers that were resident at the Montreal development facility for the project and the one that ensured the simulator did what it was supposed to do. George is now a professor at University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Q.B. (Jordan) Chou: Jordan was Ontario Hydro s supervising design engineer, Simulation, Reliability and Special Studies section reporting to H.W. (Bun) Stokes, Ontario Hydro s design and development manager. Bun totally relied on Jordan for technical matters. Jordan was instrumental in guiding us, especially when we were dealing with developing and validating our first thermalhydraulic models. Jordan was a tireless proponent towards the success of our first nuclear power plant simulator project. Jordan is now president & CEO of Canadian Power Utility Services. Les White: Les was the CAE project engineer and lead simulator system architect that needed to make sure we devised a solution that was credible and would satisfy a very knowledgeable customer, Ontario Hydro. Les now enjoys his well-deserved retirement. the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), utilities purchasing simulators to significantly expand the training for control room personnel, the requirement to have a degreed shift technical advisor assigned to each shift to evaluate abnormal conditions, etc. We were already producing full scope simulators for the Canadian market and would soon provide them to the U.S. market as well. Tests being performed on Pickering A Simulator CAE s Harry Laudie and Les White (both standing) with Ontario Hydro s H.W. (Bun) Stokes in January specialreport Following the successful implementation of the Pickering A full scope simulator, Ontario Hydro ordered a full scope simulator for the Bruce A plant in In 1979, we introduced the concept of global malfunctions and component handlers in its simulators. Handlers were one of the first steps towards the creation of off-the-shelf, reusable simulation software through the use of standardized models for commonly occurring plant components such as pumps and breakers. A handler included a set of predetermined malfunctions that were included within the scope of simulation for each component modeled by the handler. This put a virtually unlimited number of malfunctions in the hands of instructors. On 28 March 1979, the worst nuclear accident in the U.S. commercial nuclear power plant industry occurred. The TMI accident resulted in significant changes to the nuclear industry, including the creation of Early technical papers on the Pickering A Simulator and CANDU Model Development *CANDU is a registered trademark of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, used under license by Candu Energy Inc., a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group. January 2018 simnews 13

14 viewpoint We live in very strange times with respect to climate change science and policy. Nothing seems to make sense from either a theoretical or empirical perspective. We have a hypothesis purporting to address a global environmental crisis, yet only in the long term, when we have short-term, more severe environmental problems to be addressed. We have solutions advanced to address the problem which do not in fact reduce emissions to any significant degree. We have loudly proclaimed global emissions targets and great pomp and fanfare about international agreements which in fact seem to bind no one to anything. All of this makes some sense by taking a look at the writings of a famous English writer, Lewis Carroll, and his well-known book Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. This work portrays a fabulous Wonderland where everything is backward. Nothing seems to make any sense to the heroine, Alice. There s no discernable logic or reason for anything that happens during the course of the story. The characters walk and run backward, endings come before beginnings, and perfect logic produces absurd outcomes. all we are left with is the grim conclusion that the science is so weak that some of the climate change scientists feel driven to the intellectual equivalent of street-fighting to beat up their opponents because they have no better answer. This action only shows the inadequacy of their research, not the supposed villainy of the opponents they prosecute. Somewhere, Galileo is smiling, as like Carroll, he would understand this perfectly. Galileo would know because he himself was one of the biggest intellectual bullies of the 17th Century. Through the Looking-Glass is a giant metaphor for a chess problem, and it was thoroughly annotated by the great mathematician Martin Gardner in Gardner was the most eminent of the various scholars to note all of Carroll s references, jokes and puzzles in Looking-Glass, along with all of his contemporary social references. Seen by Gardner, there is a logic, albeit an insane one, to how the Looking-Glass world works. And this is where the topic of climate change comes in. From the large to the small, everything is backward, following an insane logic that on the surface seems incomprehensible. Let s start with the science. All science as we understand it is driven empirically by a posteriori reasoning. That means evidence and observation drive conclusions. But with climate science, as we ve seen in far too many cases, conclusions drive the evidence. We have models accepted as evidence, when models are in fact only illustrations of what we think is the truth. We have claims for species disappearing because of climate change, when those species are discovered to be growing and thriving. The claim is taken as truth and not the actual observations. We even have some of the principal theorists of climate change discussing among themselves the limitations of what they have produced (the so-called Climategate s), and none of this is taken seriously. Worst of all, we have documented data distortions where some such theorists have force-fit or altered data to substantiate their claims, and all of this is disregarded. To cap all this scientific cacophony, when serious errors are pointed out in the research presented, on many occasions we have seen the scientists themselves resorting to lawsuits in the civil courts claiming libel or slander. Incapable of defending their scientific research, they resort to the crude bludgeon of a lawsuit to silence their critics. This is not how the scientific method operates. As noted, the scientific method is one driven by empirical observations. But Now we get to responses to climate change. In the 25 years since the Rio 1992 conference, we have been confronted with annual UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) conferences on what to do about all this. For a quarter of a century, we have been bombarded with goals, targets and aspirations. Except for the Kyoto Protocol, none of these were binding or in any way resulted in a need for actual action. In the case of the Kyoto Protocol, it was never put into actual effect, and the binding agreement to reduce emissions froze to death in the snow of Copenhagen in The Paris Accord of 2015 is often claimed to be a treaty when in fact it is nothing of the kind. All it does is commit countries to set targets, not necessarily to do anything about them. The United States is regularly lambasted for walking away from its treaty obligations despite the fact that it was never ratified by the Senate and has no more standing than a Presidential signature. Adding to the irony, even though it never ratified the Kyoto Protocol or the Paris Agreement, the United States is the one nation to actually reduce emissions on a large scale, albeit only by replacing coal with natural gas. In Canada, the principal response over the past few years has been to declare a war on coal. This despite the fact that coal only constitutes a minor portion of Canada s electricity supply and is concentrated in only four provinces (the largest two of 14 simnews Issue 45

15 which persistently refuse to vote Liberal). Our Minister of the Environment and Climate Change seems oblivious to the notion that Canada s emissions come from the transport sector mostly, and that means a large drive to MORE electricity, not less. Germany, which makes such large claims about global leadership on climate change, has been increasing emissions because of a senseless shutdown of half its nuclear power reactor fleet, and building new coal-fired generating stations. In the process, it s gone from one of the lowest cost electricity sectors in Europe to the highest. In France, with one of the world s cleanest electricity systems in the world, the government has proclaimed a future reduction in nuclear power and a future reliance on more gas and renewables. When the government issued a statement delaying any nuclear phase-out, it was awarded a Fossil of the Day award by the climate change claque at the 2017 COP conference. Any competent historian looking at the history of technology soon observes that the human race has changed its energy sources many times over recorded history. From wood and biomass, to coal, to oil, to nuclear. All of these things were made possible and driven by technology. All of them moved in using higher density heat sources to provide more energy with less resource. But instead in climate change, the solutions touted are lower density, less efficient sources, thus constituting a complete reversal of how we know technology actually develops. Wind and solar are touted and nuclear disparaged, even though only nuclear has the capacity to actually replace some of the reliance we place on fossil fuels now. In fact some of the antinuclear groups would prefer that coal continue rather than nuclear replace it. So much for their claims about the world s greatest environmental crisis. We ve seen the actual impact of nuclear power on fossil fuels already. In 1970, bunker oil constituted about 10% of the world s electricity supply. By the end of the great nuclear construction phase of the 1970s and 80s, bunker oil made up less than 1% of global electricity supply. It s the only fuel source which has actually demonstrated an ability to reduce fossil fuel consumption on a large scale while also picking up most of the growth in electricity use over a prolonged period. But all of this makes sense in a Looking-Glass world as long as we understand a few basic, always unstated principles. 1. No nation has any intention and will never commit to handicapping seriously its economy to the benefit of its rivals. 2. Rhetoric is cheap and action is hard. It s easy to make commitments, targets and aspirations when the hard action can be conveniently left to the next administration to incur the opprobrium of actually having to do something. 3. The language of climate change is so arcane and neologistic that the public will not follow it in any detail and thus can be safely lulled to sleep over any hard bits that might emerge during implementation. They can be soothed with pablum and slogans rather than conveying the true burden of the changes to come. With these three principles, the Looking-Glass world of climate change makes sense. It suits the political agenda of seeming to take action without actually doing anything. All that s left is a lot of jiggery-pokery of financial foot-shuffling such as carbon taxes in various forms. And the only real solution to reducing fossil fuel use, nuclear power, is left lying on the table. This is deliberate, because shuffling money around is easy; building actual infrastructure that actually works is hard. This produces the impression that some governments are only interested in generating new tax revenues by finally finding a way to tax air and not by actually tackling the problem they claim is so severe. But even a Looking-Glass world breaks down. The public has long been disenchanted with the notion of drastic climate change and remains unpersuaded. Climate change consistently places last in just about every reliable survey of the public on important environmental issues. Public concern persistently remains with things like clean water, clean air, deforestation and species loss. The repeated claims by the climate change industry of points of no return are now routinely disregarded because so many of these deadlines have passed without the claimed impacts appearing. And the public will not take this seriously until governments commit to new nuclear power. The quantification provides very simple, iron-clad logic. If you re not serious about nuclear power, you re not serious about doing anything about climate change. So it is with Through the Looking-Glass as well. In the end, Alice ends the adventure by breaking the mirror. It is the same in Alice s Adventures in Wonderland. After being bullied and harassed by an assortment of characters throughout the novel, Alice exclaims, Who cares for you? You re all just a pack of cards! References: 1. The Annotated Alice: the Definitive Edition, by Lewis Carroll, Author, Martin Gardner, Editor, Colin Hunt is the publisher of the Canadian Nuclear Society s (CNS) Nuclear Canada Yearbook, and the publisher of the CNS Bulletin. Prior to becoming Secretary of the CNS in 2011, he was the Director of Research and Policy at the Canadian Nuclear Association, viewpoint January 2018 simnews 15

16 technicaldevelopments Touch Station In simnews Issue 43 (January 2017), L3 MAPPS announced that the next generation of the instructor station, the touch version of Orchid Instructor Station, was being developed and would be launched. The new touch-enabled instructor station that runs on tablet PCs is now available. It supports inputs from a touch screen and handles gestures like swiping, flicking and pinching. It allows intuitive and efficient interaction between the user and the simulator. An important key feature is the efficient use of the real estate available on the instructor station application. If information, properties or action buttons need to be displayed, a pane will slide in to display the information and will disappear once it is no longer required. This allows the instructor to have his or her attention on the most relevant information and/or functionalities that are accessible. The user can control the simulation, insert instructor actions, and view system schematics, all with simple screen touches. Valued Customer Inputs L3 MAPPS is grateful that STP Nuclear Operating Company (South Texas Project Electric Generating Station), Duke Energy (McGuire Nuclear Station) and Nuklearna elektrarna Krško (Krško Nuclear Power Plant) assisted us by testing the new product and provided valuable feedback that was incorporated into the released version. Some Cool Features The simulator control functions, such as storing and restoring the simulator initial conditions, running and freezing the simulator, and inserting instructor actions, were some of the initial features included within the beta version. Additional functionalities, such as browsing between the virtual panels, active schematics and model schematics, have been incorporated within the latest version. Furthermore, the user can configure the home screen to their preference by selecting the viewable tiles and the zoom factor. The touch version of Orchid Instructor Station provides full control of the training environment and provides easy access to simulator actions through various methods. The user can insert Instructor Actions (IAs), such as malfunctions and remote functions, through the browser with the typical method of filtering by type of instructor action. Moreover, the IA browser has been enriched to include browsing IAs by plant system (unit). The user now has the capability to select the instructor actions through the unit field and oversee all IAs available for the unit. In addition, simply by tapping on the graphical object located on a virtual panel, active schematic or model schematic, the scratchpad is launched which allows the user to insert any instructor actions. 18 simnews Issue 45

17 version of Orchid Instructor is here! technicaldevelopments The touch version of Orchid Instructor Station has been designed to support other critical instructor station functionalities, such as its trending with isimchart and scenario/lesson management with Scenario Manager. The instructor can monitor the simulator and operator performance by plotting critical parameters with isimchart. While walking around the simulator control room, the instructor can control the training environment by opening, executing and suspending scenarios. tabular application to create its own floating window. This mode maximizes the use of the computer desktop and provides the flexibility required by instructors to conduct their training activities. Virtual panels, used to replicate the main and auxiliary control room panels, and active schematics, used to replicate plant system schematics, are refreshed in real time such that symbols, readouts and colors represent the current simulation status. These are crucial components for the instructor during a training session. With a simple touch, the instructor can quickly and easily browse from virtual panels to active schematics and model schematics within the Orchid Instructor Station. The touch version of the instructor station conveniently makes everything available to the instructor. As an additional enhancement, the user can now configure the home screen to their liking. Through the home page configuration mode, the user can change the visibility of the tiles by choosing to hide the tiles they deem unnecessary to their session. By adjusting the zoom factor, the user can modify the size of the viewable area, which consequently affects the tile and font sizes. The user has control of their Orchid Instructor Station home page. As with all of the Orchid products, L3 MAPPS will continue to enhance the touch version of Orchid Instructor Station. The ultimate goal is to maintain one instructor station application for both mobile and desktop devices. Using modern-day methods of working with tablets, L3 MAPPS has provided an innovative instructor station interface while maintaining the flexibility of the traditional desktop environment. L3 MAPPS is proud to be the frontrunner as it pioneers a more efficient simulator training environment. When in home page configuration mode, the user can choose their language of preference without relaunching the application. The home page configuration options, the selected language and view scale are stored on the specific device. The state of the running simulator configuration, such as which server is connected, which workspace is selected and which configuration is being executed, is available through the expandable information tile. This information is not always in view but is easily accessible. Desktop Solution Coming Soon The touch version of Orchid Instructor Station for tablet PCs is available now. A version that can be launched in desktop mode (with multiple monitors) will be released in the second quarter of The touch version of Orchid Instructor Station in desktop mode within a more traditional instructor booth setting using multiple monitors is currently being tested by L3 MAPPS. The application provides a title bar and borders to control the size and position of the application. Furthermore, the application in desktop mode allows the user to undock a January 2018 simnews 19

18 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY infoexchange The European edition of L3 MAPPS 2017 Owners Circle Conference was held on 4-5 October in Vienna, Austria with participants from Belgium, Canada, China, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA. The event included a networking evening on Wednesday night and a business meeting on Thursday. On the first day, the participants gathered for a guided walking tour of the Belvedere Palace grounds and Vienna s most impressive square, Karlsplatz (English: Charles Square). The tour s next stop was the winery Der WEIN on Riemergasse in Vienna s first district, where our guests sampled Austrian wines while enjoying a fantastic classical duo playing violin and cello. Following the wine tasting, the group completed the evening in the wine cellar of the Huth Gastwirtschaft for an authentic Austrian meal including world famous Wiener schnitzel. Dinner was excellent and the gathering provided a good opportunity for L3 MAPPS and customers to network. Manager, Orchid Network Loader (including the Simulation Hub) and the Orchid Core Builder viewer. The meeting concluded with questions and answers and open discussions. L3 MAPPS sincerely appreciates Tim Bostock and David Norris, both from EDF Energy s Dungeness B nuclear power station, for their valued contributions to the Owners Circle Conference. We would also like to thank all the Owners Circle Conference participants who joined the meeting and the L3 MAPPS support team from Canada and the USA. If you are a user of L3 MAPPS simulation products and wish to join us for future Owners Circle conferences or if you would like to be a guest speaker, please contact us at power.mapps@l3t.com. On the next day, the group joined for the formal business part of the meeting. First on the agenda was the review of previous Owners Circle Conferences action items, L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation business overview and outlook, and recent and upcoming Orchid technology updates. L3 MAPPS was happy to report that it had recently expanded its customer base with new customers in China, Mexico, Switzerland and USA. A preview of the touch version of Orchid Instruction Station (see story in the Technical Developments section of this issue of simnews), enhancements made to Orchid Multimedia Manager, Orchid Network Loader s Simulation Hub and the new 4-monitor Orchid Touch Interface products were discussed, to name a few topics. L3 MAPPS also presented its latest development in the area of severe accident simulation for PWR, BWR and CANDU plants. Our guest speaker, Tim Bostock from EDF Energy, provided us with some informative insights on upgrading the Dungeness B simulator from a legacy platform to Orchid in the context of the plant s life extension program. In the afternoon of day two, L3 MAPPS discussed implementing digital controls on simulators with four case studies demonstrating L3 MAPPS DCS solutions and extensive experience. L3 MAPPS performed live tool reviews on the touch version of Orchid Instructor Station, Orchid Multimedia JANUARY OCTOBER Around the Corner The next Americas edition of the Owners Circle Conference will take place on January 2018 in Houston, Texas. If you haven t already done so, please visit Owners Circle Online to register. Stay Tuned The next European edition of the Owners Circle Conference will take place on 4-5 October 2018 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Event planning is underway. Stay tuned to Owners Circle Online for further details. 20 simnews Issue 45

19 Out and About Since the last issue of simnews was published, L3 MAPPS has been out and about at various conferences and tradeshows demonstrating its extensive Power Systems and Simulation know-how and technologies. A round-up of the most recent events follows. 37th Annual CNS Conference L3 MAPPS participated at the 37th Annual CNS [Canadian Nuclear Society] Annual Conference which took place in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada from 4 to 7 June L3 MAPPS got its start in the nuclear sector in the early 1970s, building operator training simulators and Digital Control Computers for the nuclear reactor fleet in Ontario. Our original work in Canada laid the groundwork for the innovative spirit at L3 MAPPS, resulted in numerous industry firsts and gave rise to worldwide recognition of our products and services. 10th International Topical Meeting on NPIC & HMIT L3 MAPPS joined government and nuclear industry leaders at the 10th International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control and Human Machine Interface Technologies held in San Francisco, California (12-15 June 2017). L3 MAPPS presented its experience on early implementation of digital system upgrades on nuclear plant simulators Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo L3 MAPPS highlighted its latest simulation solutions at the American Nuclear Society s Utility Working Conference (UWC) and Vendor Technology Expo (6-9 August 2017), at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation in Amelia Island, Florida. The UWC provides updated information on the nuclear power generation market, new technologies and, especially important to us, improving industry education and human performance IAEA General Conference L3 MAPPS was proud to be representing Canada at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna, Austria from 18 to 22 September We were happy to have the support of the Government of Canada (GoC) at this important event. GoC leadership included Parliamentary Secretary Kim Rudd, Ambassador Heidi Hulan (Canada s Ambassador to the Republic of Austria and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna) and Mr. Philip Jennings (Associate Deputy Minister for Natural Resources Canada). The Canadian team was made up of approximately 40 delegates from GoC and from the nuclear industry. Did you know that 5 billion tonnes of CO2 are displaced with the operating Canadian nuclear reactors? infoexchange IX International Forum ATOMEXPO L3 MAPPS was at Exhibition Center Gostiny Dvor in Moscow for the IX International Forum ATOMEXPO (19-21 June 2017). One of the largest events focused on discussing the future of the nuclear power sector, the forum featured more than 90 international companies and over 40 Rosatom companies. 6th European Nuclear Power Plant Simulation Forum L3 had a big presence at NRG Events 6th European Nuclear Power Plant Simulation Forum from 2 to 4 October 2017 in Vienna, Austria. Trevor Spooner (training manager, L3 Marine Systems UK) chaired the comprehensive event, where L3 MAPPS delivered three technical papers. Two panel discussions, one on power plant simulator upgrades and the other on severe accident simulation, were moderated by Michael Chatlani (vice president, marketing & sales, L3 MAPPS). January 2018 simnews 21

20 infoexchange OCNI/SNC-Lavalin Suppliers Day 2017 L3 MAPPS was at the Organization for Canadian Nuclear Industry s 2017 SNC- Lavalin Suppliers Day today (12 October 2017) in Mississauga, Ontario. The event gave us an opportunity to discuss our simulator and control computer solutions with colleagues at SNC-Lavalin, both for the existing CANDU fleet and for New Builds. OCNI/Bruce Power Suppliers Day 2017 L3 MAPPS was at the Organization for Canadian Nuclear Industry s 2017 Bruce Power Suppliers Day on 8 November 2017 held at Bruce Power, in Tiverton, Ontario. The event gave us an opportunity to discuss our control computer solutions with Bruce Power, both for our CANDU DCC offerings and for our other hardware solutions available for such systems, like CANDU fueling machines and shutdown systems. 2nd Annual Nuclear Plant Digitalization Conference Visualization and interaction keys to better learning. L3 MAPPS Michael Chatlani (vice president, marketing & sales) delivered a presentation on software to increase knowledge retention at Nuclear Energy Insider s Nuclear Plant Digitalization Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event took place from 13 to 14 November Learn more: L3T.com/MAPPS > Power Systems and Simulation > Learning Technologies. The following are upcoming conferences, exhibitions and seminars where you can expect to meet with L3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation January 2018 Event PowerPlantSim 18 Location Organizer(s) Participate Houston, Texas, USA The Society for Computer Modeling and Simulation scs.org/powerplant January 2018 Event 2018 Owners Circle Conference Location Houston, Texas, USA Organizer(s) L3 MAPPS Participate By invitation: for L3 MAPPS product owners/users February 2018 Event CNA2018 Location Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Organizer(s) Canadian Nuclear Association Participate cna.ca/2018-conference 7-8 March 2018 Event Nuclear Power Full Life-cycle Summit 2018 Location Washington D.C., USA Organizer(s) Nmble Inc. Participate nmble.com March 2018 Event Nuclear Industry Summit Latin America 2018 Location Buenos Aires, Argentina Organizer(s) PEAK Events Co. Participate nuclearlatin.org May 2018 Event X International Forum ATOMEXPO Location Sochi, Krasnodar Krai, Russia Organizer(s) ROSATOM Participate 2018.atomexpo.ru/eng May 2018 Event Energy Simulation Technology Exhibition & Conference 2018 Location Barcelona, Spain Organizer(s) NRG Events Participate energysim.tech 3-7 June 2018 Event 38th CNS Annual Conference Location Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Organizer(s) Canadian Nuclear Society Participate cns-snc.ca/events/cns-2018/ June 2018 Event World Nuclear Exhibition Location Paris, France Organizer(s) Reed Expositions Participate world-nuclear-exhibition.com 22 simnews Issue 45

21 lighterside COORDINATOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sean Bradley EDITOR R&R International Translation Specialists Inc. simnews would like to thank this issue s contributors: Michael Chatlani Bernard Gagnon Vincent Gagnon Colin Hunt (CNS Nuclear Canada Yearbook) Karim Naccache Evangelia Papadopoulos Sean Poole Bernhard Weiss Matjaž Žvar (Nuklearna elektrarna Krško) simnews is a publication of L-3 Communications MAPPS Inc. LinkedIn: L3 MAPPS 2018 L-3 Communications MAPPS Inc. All Rights Reserved. ANTHEM, ANTHEM2000, AutoChart, Bruteforce, CARDs, Chorus, Comet, Comet Plus, Isis, jnet, Learning Module, Learning Simulator, Orchid, Owners Circle, ROSE, simnews, SimStudio, System Knowledge Module and Visual Simex are trademarks of L-3 Communications MAPPS Inc. All other products are trademarks of their respective companies.

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