ROSE for Oskarshamn

Kärnkraftsäkerhet och Utbildning (KSU) has signed three contracts with CAE to collaborate on the Oskarshamn 2 simulator project. All seven of Sweden's nuclear power plant simulators are designed and operated by KSU. CAE will develop process and logic models for half of the simulator's systems, using its ROSE 4 simulation environment. ROSE and the new ROSE-generated models will run on a third-party's simulator executive SimExec a simulator executive already in use by KSU on other nuclear power plant simulators.

Latest generation ROSE

ROSE is a graphical modelling and runtime environment that has been employed by CAE and its power plant simulation customers for 12 years. It was the first graphical simulation authoring and testing environment introduced to power plant simulation. ROSE is used for the entire lifecycle of simulator projects; that is, CAE (and sometimes CAE's customers) develop, integrate and test plant system models. Once simulators are handed over by CAE to its customers, customers use the same ROSE toolset to maintain and further upgrade the simulation models as needed.

The new ROSE 4 modelling and runtime environment has been reengineered to use modern COTS technology, based on the Microsoft Foundation Class (MFC) libraries. ROSE now supports a true Multiple Document Interface (MDI), and, like Microsoft's Visual Studio, gives users full control on whether windows should be floating, docked, or maximised. Also, all windows exist within the parent frame.

All ROSE graphics are now based on CAE's RAVE graphics engine, giving users an embedded high performance graphics system. Bitmap support has been added to panel displays, allowing a user to define realistic instruments by scanning photographs, and placing these instruments on large virtual panels, complete with dents, scratches, paint discolourations, and other real-world imperfections.

The new ROSE authoring environment has evolved into a true Web application. Files are no longer transferred between the client and the server; all communication is done via transactions. ROSE is firewall-friendly, performing all of its communications as standard HTTP traffic on Port 80.

Compound objects

ROSE allows the user to create and manipulate compound objects. What this means to a user is that now, with a few clicks of the mouse, a schematic can be encapsulated into a single object, allowing a more flexible, object-oriented approach to system building, and facilitating re-use of existing code in a generic manner. Customers will now have the capability to support "black box" modelling and validation, easily building a test suite for a schematic as easily as one does for a simple object. Also, should a customer wish to make a model available to a third party, the customer's intellectual property can be protected, since that model can be encapsulated into an object, hiding all the inner workings and trade secrets.

Code generation

ROSE typically uses two classes of code generators: the sequential code generator and network code generators. The sequential code generator generates code for stand-alone objects such as pumps, valves and I&C components. The network code generator generates code for hydraulic and electrical networks that require a matrix solution. The new ROSE supports both C and FORTRAN generation.

Open database

ROSE has moved to an open relational database, and will now be using Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 for its back-end server and data repository. Users will be able to interact with the new database using a fully open API, opening up the possibility for users to create their own custom code generators (the network code generator is an example), document generators, and import/export tools independently of CAE. Using a robust, proven database such as SQL Server guarantees the user a scalable level of performance with a minimum of down time, and facilitates Internet deployment.

Collaborative design

ROSE's new and improved client-server architecture makes the tool available to a wider audience, and, due to its distributed network architecture, better allows collaborative design because all developers no longer need to be physically co-located. Developers can be located anywhere and still share data with other developers through ROSE's central data servers.

Non-homogeneous modelling

As already mentioned, a significant portion of the process models will be developed by CAE and KSU using ROSE. The process models have been divided into two principal categories: homogeneous, equilibrium models and non-homogeneous, non-equilibrium models.

Traditionally, CAE uses its two-phase, non-homogeneous model to simulate the reactor core thermal-hydraulics, main steam up to the turbine stop valves and reactor recirculation loops. The application of CAE's ROSE-based non-homogeneous, non-equilibrium model, ANTHEM2000 to a significant portion of the balance of plant (BOP) process models, including the turbine, condenser, condensate and feedwater is another important first in this project.

Control system emulation

CAE will also supply a ROSE-based emulation of the ABB Advant control system that is used for the plant's turbine control. The replication of an Advant control system can be separated into two interrelated tasks:

• Automatic conversion of the Advant control sequences into ROSE schematics by a translator program, and then generation of modules simulating the control system by ROSE.

• Replication of the OS500 Operator Station man-machine interface and functionality by CAE's Datapath X utility. This replication facilitates future reconfiguration and modification that may be required to track plant operating data or changes to the DCS that affect the simulated plant control system.

ROSE Models to run in third party Simulator Executive

All ROSE generated simulation code will be automatically converted into the third party SimExec format by reformatting the source codes and database created by ROSE. The conversion of the source files will be invoked by using a user-friendly, graphical tool.

Once the modelling software has been converted, configuration management and testing can be carried out using the native SimExec tools. The post processor will also ensure that variables and constants are segregated to different global areas for inclusion into the SimExec database. Thus all applications that work with the SimExec database will continue to operate in the normal manner. In particular, all applications that work with a variable reference from the database will continue to work as usual. This includes the KSU instructor station functions (store/restore, freeze/unfreeze, and so on), malfunctions and overrides, I/O system and the SimExec ISD tool.

CAE will provide in addition a ROSE runtime extension. The runtime extension is intended to provide the test engineer the same debug capabilities of ROSE runtime as in the development environment. It is not a requirement to actually run the simulation.

The ROSE runtime extension will interface directly to the SimExec database. Some features of the extension include:

• Variable Watch provides a continuously updated readout of all object variables in tabular form and a means to change the value of any simulation variable.

• Variable Viewer allows the user to monitor in tabular form a personal selection of variables from a variety of objects.

• Scribe allows the user to continuously plot any variable.

• Readouts provide an 'at a glance' display of important parameters as defined in the object definition.

• Touch Areas to control device state.

• Object Dynamics used to visualise system behaviour.
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