Power uprates: Curtiss-Wright discusses reconciled data

Data validation and reconciliation: Curtiss-Wright’s Derek Horn, senior manager of business development, discussed growing interest in power uprates and the company’s recent participation in a Light Water Reactor Capacity Expansion Group organized by Idaho National Laboratory. Horn highlighted the use of data validation and reconciliation (DVR) software from the German firm (and Curtiss-Wright partner) BTB Jansky to improve data accuracy and support measurement uncertainty recapture (MUR) uprates.

Horn pointed to Bruce Power as an example of one utility that recently used DVR to perform a power recovery of 42 MW across six of the eight Bruce units in Ontario, Canada.

“All plant instruments are susceptible to measurement error, whether that be manufacturing defect bias, equipment installation, instrument drift, or component aging,” Horn said. Referencing the phrase “garbage in, garbage out,” he discussed how those inaccuracies can impact simulation and monitoring applications. DVR can reconcile sensor readings with first principles of thermodynamics and quantifiable uncertainties to yield a dataset that takes systematic errors into account and could potentially allow for early detection of anomalies, Horn said. Using reconciled data in simulation or machine learning applications ensures measurement errors aren’t introduced and reflected in the application.

DVR-aided PEPSE modeling: Greg Alder, director of plant optimization, discussed Curtiss-Wright’s PEPSE thermal‑performance modeling and simulation software for extended power uprate studies and assessing plant performance impacts, and how DVR can be used to remove inconsistencies in data prior to analysis using PEPSE models to more accurately simulate plant response to uprated flows, steam conditions, equipment outages, and environmental extremes.