News

USA continues to lead the industry in technological innovation through the Advanced Remote Monitoring Project (ARM). This research initiative promotes a vision that sustaining nuclear’s economic competitiveness can be achieved through the application of advanced technologies.

Recent accomplishments of the ARM Team include the following:

• USA’s new cloud-based technology platform, NuSuite is fully operational and being utilized in plant-level demonstrations including:
  • Process Anomaly Detection – Prairie Island
  • Large Transformer Monitoring – Columbia
  • Automated FireWatch System – Comanche Peak
  • Thermal Performance – Susquehanna

• USA’s Supplier Partner for M&D services, Vistra’s Power Optimization Center (POC) has now expanded 24×7 monitoring and diagnostic services to include Beaver Valley, Davis-Besse and Perry stations consistent with the services continuing for Comanche Peak and Columbia under ARM.

• The ARM Team and technology partners hosted a number of booths as a part of the Suppliers Showcases during the USA Executive Summit, held in Marco Island, in June. This extended the opportunity for attendees to get a first-hand look at the technologies and capabilities created through ARM. (see picture)

With much accomplished over the past five years, the ARM project will conclude at the end of September. However, this actually represents more of a beginning than an ending. Going forward the tools, capabilities and services created through this initiative will now be available to USA members in support of further process modernization initiatives.

In closing, I would like to recognize and extend sincere appreciation to the ARM Project Team Leads and all of the dedicated engineering and technical support personnel across their respective organizations. It has been truly amazing to finally see the fruits of their efforts becoming a reality for the benefit of all USA members as well as the entire nuclear industry.

Clint Carter