Plant Process Computers for the Nuclear Power Industry

Curtiss-Wright understands that no two plants are the same; even sister sites often have vast differences between their systems. The Plant Process Computers were designed to overcome those differences by being adjustable to any plant size or need. The modular nature of the system connects it to a wide range of systems such as the simulator, annunciator, technical support center, and many others, allowing the system to standardize communication among all system components and allow for accurate information flow between all systems and staff.

Though redundancies have increased the security, availability and stability of plant systems, they still need to be monitored to ensure their reliability. Nearly every element of the Plant Process Computers is actively monitored to ensure component health and availability – This monitoring includes checking redundant power supplies, internal server parameters (such as temperatures and fan condition), and even individual port conditions in network switches. The Plant Process Computers also incorporates cyber security threat mitigation strategies - active network ports can be monitored for health and activity, and inactive ports can be monitored and alarmed if they become active, allowing staff to take appropriate action.

As systems age, they can become costly to repair or replace. Curtiss-Wright’s Plant Process Computers are built specifically to minimize obsolescence by aligning with our Refresh Strategy. The Refresh Strategy recognizes aging and obsolescence issues in system components and software, and provides users with specific mitigation activities to prevent system age from compromising safe, reliable and efficient operation of the plant. The Refresh Strategy is the basis of the obsolescence elimination strategy that dramatically reduces ongoing maintenance and support costs, keeping plants running safely for longer periods.