Rolls-Royce wins contract to replace plant process computer systems at Comanche Peak

Dallas, TX - Rolls-Royce has won a $13.7 million contract to replace the plant process computers (PPC) for the two generating units at Luminant’s Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant located near Glen Rose, Texas.

Comanche Peak has two pressurized water reactors with a combined generating capacity of 2,300 megawatts - enough to meet the energy demands of well over one million Texas households.

As part of the contract, awarded by Luminant which is the largest power generator in Texas, Rolls-Royce will replace the ageing plant process computers with more modern PPC technology on both units at Comanche Peak as well as the PPC training system located within its full scope training simulator.

Dave Thompson, Rolls-Royce, Head of Plant Automation and Monitoring Systems, said: “The current computer systems were installed in the 1990s, and while they have produced many years of reliable service, they are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain due to a lot of the parts no longer being available. There have been significant technical advances in plant process computers over the last 20 years and we are delighted that Luminant has put their trust in our market-leading technology.”

Plant process computers monitor the safe operation of the plant by gathering data such as pressure, temperature, flows and valve positions from other plant monitoring instrumentation and then display that data in the control room. The computers also use the data to trigger alarms whenever a parameter exceeds a pre-defined limit.

Rolls-Royce has significant nuclear skills, a large existing nuclear supply chain and a long-standing presence in a number of key phases of the nuclear program. These skills include providing advice to governments and operators, supply chain management and manufacturing and technical engineering support. The group provides nuclear services to every utility in North America.

1. Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 300 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.
3. Annual underlying revenue was $19.5* billion in 2012, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at $110.7 billion at 30 June 2013, providing visibility of future levels of activity
4. Rolls-Royce employs over 45,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 14,000 of these employees are engineers.
5. Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
6. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
7. In North America, Rolls-Royce employs more than 9,300 people in 66 locations in 26 states and 7 sites in 6 Canadian provinces. In the United States, Rolls-Royce employs more than 7,700 people in 26 states.
8. Rolls-Royce supports a number of key phases of nuclear programs, including providing advice to governments and operators, supply chain management, and manufacturing and technical engineering support. The Group’s nuclear services activity represents more than half of its civil nuclear business and includes support to operational reactors in 20 countries across Europe, North America and Asia.
9. Rolls-Royce has a large and highly experienced nuclear skills base with approximately 3,000 employees in the UK, France, the Czech Republic, North America and China.