Declare Your Independence

Minuteman Advanced Core Monitoring Systems Provide Freedom From Fuel Vendors and their Core Monitoring Systems.

Proven    Flexible    Reliable

Background

RETAQS, Inc. is a US based consulting company specializing in fuels and reactor engineering. Established in 1996, RETAQS has provided fuels and reactor engineering qualification, training, and support to most US utilities and some European utilities. RETAQS employs engineers with significant plant experience as reactor or fuels engineers. This experience allows RETAQS to offer immediately effective engineering support to the plant and bring real-life experience to the classroom.

Tarkus, Ltd. is a European based consulting company established in 1995 to specialize in codes used for reactor core calculations. Tarkus has provided the development of computer codes to many European and U.S. utilities. Tarkus employs engineers with significant experience in the development, installation, and on-line support of nuclear codes. Tarkus products include graphical data analysis tools, data handling tools, core monitoring systems, and related consulting.

Joint Venture

Tarkus, Ltd. and RETAQS, Inc., having effectively worked together on other core monitoring projects, have formed a joint venture to market an advanced core monitoring system. With the code development experience of Tarkus and the reactor engineering experience of RETAQS, these two companies are in a unique position to market a core monitoring system with unprecedented flexibility and capability.

System Features

The revolutionary feature of this system is that it can use any neutronic simulator as its central calculation model. This gives the utility the ability to use the same code for design work and on-line monitoring. Additionally, this capability gives the utility the freedom to change fuel vendors without needing to change core monitoring systems. By not changing core monitoring codes, the impact to the operating staff of changing fuel vendors can be significantly reduced.

Another unique feature of this system is its web-based architecture, enabling monitor and predictor access using any compatible web browser. By employing this type of architecture, the system can be easily administered by a utility's typical IT staff. This arrangement also simplifies networking of the system, allowing ready access to core monitoring data and functions from anywhere on the corporate LAN, and, with the proper firewall, from anywhere in the world.

Minuteman Advanced Core Monitoring Systems are available in PWR and BWR versions. This unique system uses the neutronic simulator of choice for each utility allowing a direct comparison of the core design and core monitoring codes. With the built-in ability to switch neutronic simulators, this core monitoring system gives the utility freedom from any fuel vendor and allows you to switch fuel vendors as often as you like while avoiding the cost and complexity of changing core monitoring codes. Fuel vendor transitions become virtually transparent to the operating staff!

System Features

  • Web Based Interface
  • Easily User Configurable
  • Network Ready
  • User Type Privileges
  • Powerful Predictor
  • Compatible with all Fuel Vendor Thermal Limits