Nuclear Instrumentation & Controls

Leonardo DRS is a design engineering organization responsible for providing design, manufacturing, testing, and delivery of high quality nuclear instrumentation and controls for installation in submarines, aircraft carriers, and commercial nuclear power plants.

Global Leader in Commercial Nuclear Safety Systems

Leonardo DRS carries forward a storied lineage in the field of nuclear instrumentation and control (I&C) systems, with its origins deeply rooted in the company formerly known as Consolidated Controls, Inc. In 2008, following its acquisition by Finmeccanica (now Leonardo), Consolidated Controls evolved into what is known today as Leonardo DRS Nuclear Instrumentation and Control. This transformation marked a new chapter in the company’s history, while still upholding a legacy that began in 1958 from its headquarters in Danbury, Connecticut.

With over 70 years of innovation, Leonardo DRS has been a trusted provider of Class 1E safety-related I&C solutions for both naval and commercial nuclear markets. From pioneering the I&C design for the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) to supporting every nuclear-powered warship since, our expertise is deeply embedded in national defense. Expanding into the commercial nuclear sector in the 1970s, we continue to engineer resilient, reliable systems for the most demanding environments worldwide.

Over the last 50 years we have installed safety control systems in more than 30 commercial nuclear power plants

Leonardo DRS has a global installed base of I&C systems that include analog control systems, discrete logic systems, and microprocessor-based systems. These systems have proven track records of performance, reliability and quality.

  • Analog Upgrade of Engineered Safety Features Actuation System (ESFAS)
  • Analog Upgrade of Load Shedder and Emergency Load Sequencer (LSELS)
  • Anticipated Trip Without Scram (ATWS)
  • Emergency Load Sequencer (ELS)
  • Emergency Diesel Generator Controls
  • Emergency Power Sequencer Subsystem (EPSS)
  • Engineered Safety Features Actuation System (ESFAS)
  • Load Shedder and Emergency Load Sequencer (LSELS)
  • Main Steam and Feedwater Isolation System (MSFIS)
  • Main Steam Isolation Valve (MSIV) Electronic Logic System
  • PLµS 32 Plant Digital Control System
  • Safeguard Load Sequencing Systems (SLSS)
  • Safety Features Actuation System (SFAS)
  • Safety Features Sequencer
  • Safety Related Auxiliary Relay System
  • Safety Related Isolation Cabinet
  • Safety Related Isolation Panels
  • Solid State Control System (SSCS)
  • Solid State Interposing Logic System (SSILS)
  • Steam and Feedwater Rupture Control System (SFRCS)
  • Steam Generator Level Instrumentation Cabinet (SGLIC)

Design Services

Nuclear I&C System Refresh

No Forced Product Retirement is a key customer service philosophy at Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C.  As such, Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C has the processes and personnel in place to provide reverse engineering services for both analog and digital based systems, providing a technology refresh for legacy systems. 

Commercial Grade Dedication

Per EPRI NP-5652 and TR-102260, Commercial Grade Dedication (CGD) is “an acceptance process that is undertaken to provide reasonable assurance that a commercial-grade item to be used as a basic component will perform its intended safety function and, in this respect, is deemed equivalent to an item designed and manufactured under a 10CFR50, Appendix B QA program.”

Obsolescence Management

Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C provides services to support plant personnel with replacement components for those parts that are no longer available in the marketplace or are no longer supported by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).  Replacement components are procured, designed, manufactured, tested and inspected to ensure that the components meet or exceed the form, fit and function of the original components.

Safety Systems

PLµS 32 Digital Control System

The Leonardo DRS Nuclear Instrumentation & Control (Nuclear I&C) PLμS 32 Distributed Control System provides a complete spectrum of functions for Class 1E and non 1E safety systems including loop control, logic, analog and sequential control, data acquisition and management. The PLμS 32 distributed control systems have logged over a million hours of safety critical plant operations above and beyond the 500,000,000 hours logged by prior Nuclear I&C systems.

Emergency Diesel Generator Controls

The Leonardo DRS Nuclear Instrumentation & Control (Nuclear I&C) Voltage Regulator and Speed Controller were designed from the ground up for Class 1E safety related nuclear applications, specifically for use with emergency diesel generators.

Video Display Unit

The Leonardo DRS Nuclear Instrumentation & Control (Nuclear I&C) PLμS 32 Video Display Unit (VDU) is a Class 1E safety rated video display system providing a “soft control” user interface to your critical system applications. The VDU provides select and confirm touch screen control for all plant operations.  The operator has real-time access to critical operating information through an advanced display management system.

Sensors & Transmitters

Pressure & Differential Pressure Transmitters

The Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C Pressure Transmitters are qualified for Class 1E safety related nuclear applications. The basic design is a Bellows/LVDT construction; a technology which Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C has over 60 years experience of deploying reliably in nuclear applications. Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C manufactures a broad line of transmitters and sensors to monitor pressure, flow, level, temperature, speed and position for severe environment applications.

Reactor Coolant Pump Speed Sensors / Pre-Amp

The Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C speed and phase sensors monitor the rotational speed and direction of the reactor coolant pump. They are designed, built, and tested in accordance with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requirements for Class 1E safety-rated equipment under our 10 CFR Part 50 Appendix B nuclear quality assurance program. The all-stainless-steel construction allows the sensors to operate continuously in the most extreme environments.

Quality

Focused on Continuous Quality Improvement

Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C has established one comprehensive quality program designed to meet the stringent requirements of our customers and regulatory authorities.

Leonardo DRS Nuclear I&C has been a supplier to the Commercial Nuclear industry for over 55 years. Over this time, we have maintained an NQA program to ensure the quality of products provided to the Commercial Nuclear industry. The initial NQA program was developed in compliance with ANSI N45.2, 1971, “Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Nuclear Power Plants” and has been updated throughout the years to meet the changing quality requirements. With the implementation of Appendix B, “Quality Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants,” to 10 CF Part 50, “Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities”, Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems updated its NQA program and has been in compliance with these requirements since that time.

The Leonardo DRS NQA program is also in compliance with the following: NQA-1; ASME NQA-2a, Part 2.7 – Software; and 10 CFR Part 21.

Our Quality program has been audited by the US NRC, the Nuclear utility’s NUPIC audit process as well as our customers.

Contact

Richard Alsop

Director, Business Development
Naval Power Systems

[email protected]

+1 475 529 5026