Company Announcement - Schneider Electric was the first and is the only Uninterruptible Power Supply company in Europe which have provided completely qualified and dedicated Gutor technology in accordance with the American quality standard NQA-1 (Nuclear Quality Assurance). The requirements defined by the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) are strict and specifically created to implement US government regulations for nuclear applications, corresponding to the most exacting quality expectations worldwide. The ASME NQA-1 Standard reflects industry experience and understanding of the necessary quality assurance conditions to achieve the safe, reliable and efficient use of nuclear energy and the processing of radioactive materials.

Class 1E Uninterruptible Power Supply equipment with Gutor technology has been built for the Idaho National Laboratory and was delivered in mid-August 2014, following successful prototype testing at an American external test laboratory. Equipment testing took place under the strict NQA-1 quality standards in accordance with IEEE Std 650-2006, which sets tests and checks designed to prove the equipment is qualified to operate in the specified environmental, electrical and seismic conditions and events. Following the positive sign-off by the customer, the equipment (dual Gutor PDW 400 kVA) could be delivered. The commissioning phase of this 15 meter long system in ongoing.

“We knew from the beginning of the project that it would be a challenge to obtain a large 800 kVA UPS system meeting the stringent IEEE Class 1E requirements necessary for the nuclear reactor industry”, says William Steele, Project Manager of INL. “Following a thorough evaluation of the industrial base, we awarded the contract to Schneider Electric with its Gutor technology in April 2013. INL and Gutor experts have worked collaboratively for the last 16 months to meet numerous technical and schedule challenges.“

Idaho National Laboratory
Idaho National Laboratory is the U.S. Department of Energy’s leading center of nuclear energy research and development where nearly 3,500 researchers and support staff work with national and international governments, universities and industry partners to deliver energy and national security solutions and expand the frontiers of science and technology.

American Nuclear Quality Requirement ASME NQA-1
Approval under nuclear quality assurance requirements, as required by the American Government, are constantly checked and will only be awarded following strict, on-going customer audits. Guidelines chiefly regulate the challenging conditions in the nuclear environment which can lead to safety risks. The applications in particular must be secured against earthquakes, heat and humidity, as well as electromagnetic stresses. Every single component built into the Gutor technology UPS system must be dedicated and meticulously numbered and recorded. This means that it is always possible to identify from where every component comes, from the first screw to the system cabinet.

What’s more, as only a company with an approved NQA-1 quality assurance program can be used as a qualified supplier of nuclear grade items, and since European suppliers meeting this standard are few, all the individual parts had to be checked and tested internally to take them from commercial grade items to approved basic components. This requires an enormous expenditure: Over a 2 month period for this project, 16 Schneider Electric employees were busy carrying out the mechanical and electrical dedication of the components.

With its Gutor technology, Schneider Electric is one of the leading global manufacturers of UPS systems for industrial equipment. The offered solutions are based on a high technical standard and include numerous services from commissioning through to maintenance and training. The Gutor systems and services developed in Switzerland are used principally in power generation, oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical industries, and both in nuclear and conventional power stations.