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NIAEP: Energy, Process, Utilities – A leader in the Nuclear Industry

Monday 17. June 2013 - Following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, plant safety became the absolute priority for Russia's nuclear industry. Today, Russian nuclear power plant builders such as Nizhny Novgorod Atomenergoproject Engineering Company, OJSC, (NIAEP) adhere to strict safety standards, which, after Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, now include reinforced seismic requirements for newly built nuclear power plants and more emphasis on active and passive safety systems in reactors.

Russia has come a long way in the past two decades deploying modern technologies and innovative methods to tackle more complex and ambitious nuclear plant projects. “NIAEP epitomizes this evolution,” Valery Limarenko, NIAEP president, said. “This is why Russia’s state energy company Rosatom, commissioned us to participate in the VVER-TOI1 project to develop a standard, optimized and computerized nuclear power unit with a water-water power reactor.” According to Limarenko, the use of digital technology to increase plant reliability and safety is an innovative approach that will confirm NIAEP’s reputation as a serious contender as it competes in the global nuclear power market.
Collaborative engineering
To achieve its objective, NIAEP chose Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to manage the plant’s entire lifecycle. “Solutions for lifecycle management of complex facilities are in demand all over the world,” Limarenko, said. “NIAEP and Dassault Systèmes collaborated together to create a solution that would integrate process engineering, design and construction in a unified digital nuclear power plant (NPP) model.”
“Previously, NIAEP did not have a system that could seamlessly integrate the work of designers, process engineers, and construction engineers,” he said. “And to make things worse, data was stored on different computers. With the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform we have an integrated environment for collaboration and data exchange,” Limarenko said. “All project participants experience a sense of unity, working together closely using the same process. They get feedback in real time, implement changes on a daily basis, and work out problems faster than before. Russians are pioneers in the nuclear power industry, which is why we take pride in knowing that our customers look to us because they know we pay strict attention to safety and reliability. It’s something we do not take lightly.”
NIAEP used the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to develop a NPP based on new generation VVER-TOI power units, which are modified versions of AES-20062 project reactors, only with better specifications, such as increased thermal power and improved passive safety systems. The VVER-TOI project will allow NIAEP to reduce costs associated with power unit design, construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning.
Efficient construction
NIAEP and Dassault Systèmes jointly developed a unique technology, based on DELMIA called Multi-D used to create and manage information, including 3D data, resources, time and financial data. Multi-D enables engineers to optimize resources by simulating nuclear power plant processes, based on a 3D-model, before actual construction. With DELMIA, engineers can validate the process planning and detailing in
a dynamic model of the nuclear power plant and analyze and optimize the plant layout virtually – where changes can more easily be made – prior to physical build. The technology simultaneously reduces construction time and project costs while increasing labor efficiency, work quality and safety.
Integrated project management
“We are the first company to create a NPP lifecycle management system,” Limarenko said. “It has features for design management, in particular, for the creation and modification of a 3D model, as well as features for construction management, field engineering, purchasing and supply management, facility commissioning, and operation and decommissioning.
It was the NPP design approach that was first used for the innovative VVER-TOI project in 2012.”
The NPP lifecycle management system is based on ENOVIA Version 6 and is ISO-15926-compliant for data interoperability. “We chose the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform because it provides robust lifecycle and change management capabilities, something which our previous solution did not have and which is key to tracking the evolution of an entire construction project.” Moreover, multi-CAD integration was a requirement from the very beginning because, in addition to the 3DS applications, we also use solutions from Intergraph and Siemens,” Limarenko said.
Benefit outcomes recognized in the industry
NIAEP also developed a Unified Nuclear Industry Catalog of Equipment and Materials based on ENOVIA. CATIA Version 6 models help automate engineering documentation creation and serve as the source data for the Multi-D construction optimization process. “The Rostov NPP construction site is a great example of successful project implementation,” Limarenko said. “It involves all kinds of innovations that can reduce NPP construction time and costs.”
NIAEP management considers that the 3DS applications have boosted the Russian company’s capabilities for the design and construction of complex engineering facilities, speeding the realization of their strategy to be the world’s technological leader in nuclear plant construction. “Already, our company builds more nuclear power plants abroad than our Russian competitors, thanks to efficient cost management, which makes our projects cheaper than those of the competition,” Limarenko said.
According to Limarenko, the NPP lifecycle management system provides a consistent methodology, which leads to improvements in the quality of complex constructions, and the ability for more companies to participate in NPP projects. From a layman’s perspective, filtering through the
Dashboard
massive amount of information documented throughout the lifecycle of an NPP is essential at a time when societies scrutinize nuclear energy with a fine-tooth comb. The NPP lifecycle management system based on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform makes this information easily available and clear for nuclear and non-nuclear experts alike.
Both the nuclear industry and other national industrial enterprises highly appreciated the innovative Multi-D technology. The NIAEP project, named “Multi-D System for Lifecycle Management of Complex Engineering Facilities”, received first prize in the “Nuclear Industry Innovations” category during the Regional Innovation Awards in 2011 (Nizhny Novgorod region). NIAEP CJSC also won “The Best Russian Enterprises: Dynamics, Efficiency, Responsibility 2011” contest in the innovative company category. The contest was organized by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
1 Vodo-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reactor; Water-Water Power Reactor 2 1200 MW PWR reactor
Challenge
Resolve issues that include lack of integration and collaboration between the different disciplines (Systems, Civil, and Equipment) and lack of integration between engineering, construction planning & procurement to become a national leader in nuclear power engineering.
Solution
NIAEP uses Dassault Systèmes’ (3DS) 3DEXPERIENCE applications CATIA, ENOVIA and DELMIA to create the Multi-D technology that increases engineering quality and simulates and optimizes construction processes based on a 3D model.
Benefits
The technology helps NIAEP considerably reduce construction time, ensure strict adherence to standards and improve construction quality as well as safety.