Early Returns from the ANS Winter Conference
Submitted by salesadmin on Thu, 11/15/2018 – 14:01
Nuclear Industry on Life Support……How Can OTEK Help?
Dr. Fest has returned from the sun and sand of Orlando, Florida where he received dour news from industry leaders around the world. The Nuclear Industry, it seems, can no longer bury its head in the proverbial sand. A cloud encroaching from the not too distant horizon with promises of expensive and time-consuming storms had everyone in central Florida’s ears ringing with alarm. The writing appears to indeed be on the wall–the Nuclear Industry is facing an obsolescence crisis short on options and even shorter on time.
With 80% of power plants worldwide 30 years and older, AND using mostly analog meter technology from the 1st half of the 20th century, the clock is ticking on obsolescence. Couple this with governmental oversight in the form of crippling NEI 08-09 regulations, and you have a maelstrom of inefficiency, expenditure, and evasive R.O.I. The solutions? Well they are not without their own problems. You can replace your old analog meters with modernized digital instruments such as SCADA/DCS or Flat Screen technology, but then you’re looking at not only an investment upwards of $100 million and 5 plus years, but also potentially $20 million in Cyber Security Compliance! Does investing nearly $150 million (calculated loss of income from 3-5 year upgrade shutdown included) in a 30-40 year old power plant seem wise? Then, of course, there is always the option of placing your head back in the sand until the tide of decommission rolls in….
As he emphatically demonstrated in Orlando, Dr. Fest and his small company from the desert have a better solution that just might keep that cloud at bay a little longer. Dr. Fest unveiled OTEK’s brand new Solid State Analog Meter (SSAM) which replaces analog meters 100% Form, Fit, and Function, AND is completely Cyber Security Exempt! What? How can an instrument endowed with OTEK’s patented New Technology avoid Cyber Security regulations? Dr. Fest’s answer was to take the award-wining technology of his NTM series and, using CMOS logic, insert it into a completely hardware-driven instrument void of any critical digital assets. Without these CDA’s such as microprocessors, there is nothing in the SSAM which could be hacked or compromised by an outside source, thus bypassing the Cyber Security problem and subsequent regulatory expenses!
During his time in Orlando Dr. Fest was able to raise many eyebrows with the efficiency and practicality of the SSAM. For companies uninterested in the high cost of Cyber Security compliance, the SSAM offers a way to avoid losing millions while at the same time gaining an advantage in the latest digital meter technology. Dr. Fest returned home to his small company with hope for the industry as that long black obsolescent cloud draws near. Remember, it was David who defeated Goliath!
For more information on the SSAM or any of OTEK’s other products please visit www.otekcorp.com or call (520) 748-7900.