On 22 February, the revision of Measurements for Monitoring Adequate Cooling within the Core of Pressurized Light Water Reactors (IEC 60911:1987), led by the Nuclear Power Institute of China (NPIC), was unanimously approved by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) during the Final Draft International Standard (FDIS) voting. This is the first time that China has revised relevant international standards in the field of core monitoring system for nuclear power plants, and fills the gap in China’s standards for safety monitoring of third-generation nuclear power plants. It marks China’s transition from “active implementation” to “participation in formulation” in international standardization.

The IEC 60911 standard, originally established in 1987, provided the basic framework for core cooling monitoring in nuclear power plants. However, with advances in digital technology and increasing global nuclear safety requirements, its technical limitations have become more apparent over time.

This revision represents the first comprehensive technical update of the standard since its inception. It rebuilds the global approach to nuclear safety monitoring through a modular system. For the first time, it unifies the core cooling monitoring system, segments the overall operating conditions of nuclear power plants and formulates measurement requirements for sub-conditions. It also introduces new key technical provisions for accident conditions, such as reactor cavity cooling monitoring and containment water level monitoring, and incorporates advanced measurement technologies such as magnetic sensing.

According to the IEC’s official website, the new version of IEC 60911 is expected to be published in November this year.

 (Source: Nuclear Power Institute of China)