Our experienced and accredited engineering services managers, and their highly trained engineering teams, work alongside utility clients worldwide to deliver high-quality and cost-effective engineering solutions. Our engineering expertise includes:
Design Drafting
As a technology leader in design drafting, AECL provides vital design and maintenance support to nuclear utilities. Key to this support are state-of-the-art, integrated electronic engineering tools, including 3D Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) systems and our own IntEC automated wiring system. Our specialized 3D CADD tools allow utilities to plan maintenance that is optimized for cost and manpower. Staff can be trained in a radiation-free environment through the use of animation, providing step-by-step visualization in limited-access situations and complex physical settings.
Environmental Qualification
AECL offers CANDU and other utilities Environmental Qualification (EQ) assessment and testing services. EQ in nuclear plants provides assurance that safety-related equipment will perform in the harsh environments postulated for design basis accidents.
Equipment is tested to specified bounding conditions of temperature, pressure, humidity, and radiation with a strong focus on maximizing equipment performance. EQ data can be directly applied to plant life assurance and life cycle management programs.
Our highly qualified team can:
- test materials and equipment in the high temperature/pressure/radiation/humidity environments that may occur in nuclear stations
- provide materials selection expertise
- provide design advice to extend equipment service-life
- implement material control programs and “fingerprint” polymers
- develop databases and certify EQ equipment
- provide in-plant monitoring services to confirm EQ requirements and equipment operability
Safety Analysis
AECL works on an ongoing basis with customers to help further enhance plant safety and performance. We work closely with utility staff to analyze plant performance, to ensure regulatory requirements are met and that our utility customers have the support they need with their interactions with nuclear regulators. Our services include:
- Safety and licensing assessments/analysis to support utility and/or regulatory needs. These typically apply AECL’s suite of safety codes in the thermalhydraulics, fuel, physics and other related disciplines (e.g., RFSP-IST, CATHENA, ADDAM, GOTHIC, ELOCA).
- Probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) development, reliability analyses, event tree, fault tree, event sequence development and benefit-cost analysis (BCA) applying related codes (CAFTA Suite and EOOS)
- Support of licensing submissions
3D Laser Scanning
AECL offers complete 3D laser scanning services to help customers accurately and efficiently gather 3D point data from any environment. This innovative tool enables customers to create an as-built or current-condition virtual environment of 3D point data. This service provides accurate measurements—with accuracy of 3 mm at a 10-metre distance—while avoiding costly plant walkdowns and eliminating the possibility of interferences between new and existing equipment. This expertise can be used on any industrial surface and provide photorealistic 360° greyscale and colour images.
3D Simulation
AECL offers a complete 3D kinematic simulation service to accurately and efficiently plan remote and complex maintenance and installation operations. The simulation service uses simulation software that makes use of 3D graphic models that are either based on drawings or developed from 3D Laser Scan data that is converted to CADD models. The simulation software enables AECL to build "virtual mock-ups" with equipment that may be required to perform maintenance work. A piece of "virtual equipment" (robot or device) can be manipulated and made to interact with objects in the "virtual mock-up". This can be used to optimize any spatial and operational restrictions, and for training purposes. Robot or device programming, control and monitoring can also be performed using the simulation software. Although real physical mock-ups and equipment may still be required for training and rehearsal activities, our powerful simulation tools significantly reduce the iterative tooling and procedure development process.
Heat Transport System Services
AECL provides consulting, analysis, and testing services covering all corrosion, chemistry, and defect-related aspects in boiling water reactors (BWR), as well as primary and secondary heat transport and water cooling systems in CANDU and pressurized water reactors (PWR).