What is BS 4877 - Nuclear reactor instrumentation and control about ?
BS 4877 is a British Standard that provides recommendations for determining the instrumentation and control design and identifying the instrumentation and control (I&C) systems and measurements required on a nuclear reactor plant, including the equipment required for reactor safety and protection, automatic control, and for the information and control in the main and supplementary control rooms of the nuclear reactor plant. The main objective of BS 4877 is to give guidance and background to the design and implementation practice for the I&C systems of a nuclear plant.
BS 4877 also provides recommendations for the main I&C systems on the plant and control rooms including:
- Sensors
- Actuator interface operation
- Measurements
- Measurement methods
- The reactor protection system
- Control and display facilities for reactor control and instrumentation; and
- Power supplies and communication systems
Who is BS 4877 - Nuclear reactor instrumentation and control for ?
BS 4877 on nuclear reactor instrumentation and control is useful to:
- Nuclear power stations
- Atomic energy agencies
- Atomic research organizations
- Nuclear power plants electrical systems and equipment manufacturers
- Operators of NPP, systems evaluators and licensors
- Nuclear safety authorities
- Regulatory authorities
Why should you use BS 4877 - Nuclear reactor instrumentation and control ?
A nuclear power plant (NPP) contains thousands of components and equipment, such as motors, pumps, or valves that need to operate in a well-coordinated way. This coordination is taken care of by I&C systems.
BS 4877 provides you with the best industry guidance for a clear life cycle for the design and implementation of control and instrumentation systems and the documentation of the I&C design basis, classification of functions according to their safety importance, identification of a fault schedule, and of internal and external hazards such as fire, environmental and seismic events, or flood.
Adopting the code of practice in BS 4877 ensures of an optimal design of the I&C in a nuclear reactor, that can contribute to the safe operation of the nuclear power plant throughout the lifecycle of the nuclear reactor. As a result, faults such reactivity faults, loss of coolant inventory, failure of support systems such as HVAC, as well as external and internal hazards can be identified and mitigated.