Nuclear Power Electrical Equipment Certification
As the world moves to alternative energy sources, there is heightened interest in nuclear power as a low-carbon, cost-effective and sustainable way to meet growing energy demands. With this transition, comes the critical need for more rigorous equipment assessment in the development of nuclear components, building of new plants, and maintenance of aging plants around the world.
As such, failures in product and equipment design, qualification testing, or the validity of test results have a greater impact than ever on the nuclear power industry. Deficiencies in any of these areas can result in a large number of nuclear units being temporarily or permanently shut down. Entire countries can be adversely affected, and the economic and social costs would be devastating.
For these reasons and many more, the IEEE Conformity Assessment Program (ICAP) and IEEE Nuclear Power Engineering Committee (NPEC) have developed the IEEE Nuclear Power Electrical Equipment Certification Program. This certification program is based on IEEE 60780-323™, IEEE 344™, and other related IEEE nuclear standards and implements certification initiatives for both Class 1E (IEEE), and Important to Safety (IEC) components to nuclear qualification standards. The goal of this program is to validate adherence to IEEE nuclear standards.
Benefits of IEEE Nuclear Power Electrical Equipment Certification
Because conformance with IEEE standards has never been more necessary than it is today, the IEEE Nuclear Power Electrical Equipment Certification Program works to ensure that certified components meeting the most widely accepted qualification requirements are deployed. Adoption of the IEEE Conformity Assessment Program for Nuclear qualification standards is the next step in improving nuclear safety worldwide.
This program helps to:
- Review adherence to safety, performance, reliability, and quality requirements of IEEE standards
- Minimize risk through independent verification of equipment properties and design processes using rigorous conformance and test methods, procedures, and protocols
- Mitigate uncertainties in 1E electrical equipment procurement
- Reduce inaccurate internal assessments of conformance
- Limit fraudulent product issues related to counterfeit parts and falsified test reports
- Realize cost savings on source verification and audits
- Afford objectivity and transparency in quality assurance activities, enhancing market confidence and acceptance
- Offers a consolidated SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solution designed to assist in managing the qualification process to systematically build an EQ binder
Key Program Aspects include:
- Consolidated SaaS Solution: IEEE Equipment Qualification (EQ) Navigator™ has been developed for manufacturers, utilities, test labs and other key stakeholders to provide an independent and streamlined assessment of product conformance to IEEE/IEC 60780-323, IEEE 344 and other related IEEE nuclear power standards. Users benefit from the use of standardized test plan, methodology and report templates that can help avoid market confusion and make it easier to identify, attain and manage IEEE product certifications when building an EQ binder.
- Utility Engagement: Built to adhere to national and international regulatory requirements, EQ Navigator affords utilities the ability to receive, trace and confirm authenticity of test reports and certified products information for inclusion in plant qualification packages/binders. Plant engineers will also find EQ Navigator a valuable resource for assessing equipment replacement needs in aging sites.
- IEEE Recognized Test Labs: All test labs associated with this program are audited for their technical competence and quality assurance utilizing standardized audit guidelines with relevant IEEE NPEC standards.
- Product Certification: Products certified through this program will be listed in IEEE EQ Navigator and eligible for the IEEE certification mark, which may also include assignment of a unique certification number for enhanced traceability and authenticity.
Participants and users may include:
- Systems integrators/specifiers
- Utility and plant owners
- Equipment and component vendors
- Regulatory agencies and governments
- Plant designers and engineers
- EQ testing facilities
- Insurers
To learn more about this program download our white paper: Proposed IEEE Certification for Nuclear Qualified Electrical Equipment (PDF)
If your organization is interested in certification or lab accreditation, complete this form to learn more.
About the IEEE NPEC Conformity Assessment Steering Committee (CASC)
The NPEC CASC was formed in October 2014 and includes subject matter experts from utilities, regulators, manufacturers, testing laboratories and independent consultants. The committee has international representation from Asia, Europe and North America.
The following are key NPEC CASC activities:
- Develop and maintain the IEEE Nuclear Equipment Certification program structure
- Develop test laboratory auditing and qualification process
- Develop an equipment certification process
- Provide guidance on test methods
- Develop a test report template
- Determine requalification and re-testing frequencies
- Act as certification program advocates
For information on how to participate, please contact the ICAP Team.