Ensuring reliable nuclear safety using a qualified pressure transmitter is a major challenge in demanding industrial environments, particularly in highly critical sectors such as nuclear power, energy, and complex industrial processes.
In this context, a nuclear pressure transmitter does more than simply provide a measurement: it plays a direct role in preventing hazardous situations, protecting facilities, and ensuring personal safety. Its selection must therefore meet strict criteria—technical, regulatory, and organizational.
This article outlines six essential criteria for ensuring that a nuclear pressure transmitter effectively fulfills a safety function throughout its lifecycle in a nuclear power plant.
The nuclear industry is a mature industry with well-established processes and high reliability requirements.
These requirements are defined by customers, process manufacturers, and legal regulations governing all aspects of safety, in accordance with the safety requirements published by the French Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority (ASNR).
In this context, nuclear-qualified pressure sensors and transmitters have played a vital role in process monitoring and control for several decades, contributing directly to the safety of nuclear facilities.Fuji Electric, a French manufacturer currently undergoing ISO 19443 certification, has been designing and manufacturing nuclear- pressure transmitters s in France for over 40 years for EDF reactors and international nuclear facilities.
The ongoing evolution of safety requirements, the experience gained internationally, and the increased focus on failure prevention are now leading to further tightening of the selection criteria for this equipment.
RCC-E-qualified nuclear pressure transmitters used for safety-critical functions must now meet higher standards for robustness, qualification, traceability, and long-term reliability to ensure their performance under all anticipated operating conditions.
The first requirement for ensuring the safety-critical operation of a nuclear pressure transmitter is a robust quality management system and a genuine safety culture.
This implies:
The reliability of a nuclear-qualified pressure transmitter intended for a safety-critical function depends as much on its design as on the industrial and organizational environment in which it is designed, qualified, and maintained. Fuji Electric is currently undergoing ISO 19443 certification, a quality standard specific to suppliers in the nuclear industry.
A nuclear pressure transmitter used in a safety-critical application must ensure long-term performance, even under severe operating conditions.
The qualified design life — up to 60 years for nuclear facilities—is based in particular on:
Rigorous qualification enables the behavior of the nuclear pressure transmitter to be predicted throughout its service life and ensures the reliability of decisions based on its measurements. Fuji Electric’s nuclear sensors are qualified for up to 60 years, with SIL2/SIL3 certifications and RCC-E qualifications: NC, TAS, K3A/1E.
Electrical connections play a critical role in the overall reliability of the safety function of a pressure transmitter for nuclear power plant.
An improper or unqualified electrical connection can compromise data transmission or even cause critical failures.
Nuclear pressure transmitters intended for safety-related functions must incorporate:
The quality of the interfaces is just as important as that of the nuclear pressure transmitter itself.
Components in contact with the measured fluid—particularly seals—must be perfectly suited to the process conditions to ensure the durability of the nuclear qualified pressure transmitter.
It is essential to take into account:
Choosing the wrong materials can lead to premature deterioration of the pressure transmitter and compromise the reliability of the nuclear safety function.
The electronics of the nuclear pressure transmitter play a central role in performing a safety function. They must be designed to minimize the risk of failure and ensure reliable transmission of information.
Depending on the application, the choice between analog sensors and sensors with advanced features should be based on safety requirements and ease of operation.
Fuji Electric's FY series offers pressure transmitters nuclear pressure transmitters without programmable digital components, designed specifically for safety functions.
Connecting the nuclear qualified pressure transmitter to the process is a critical factor for safety, leak-tightness, and measurement reliability.
In the context of a safety-related function at a nuclear power plant, the choice of fitting must be perfectly suited to the mechanical, thermal, and environmental constraints of the facility.
Nuclear pressure transmitters designed for these critical applications must therefore offer a variety of process connections, including:
A properly selected and qualified connection directly helps reduce the risk of leaks, mechanical damage, and installation errors, and plays a key role in ensuring the overall reliability of the safety function provided by the nuclear pressure transmitter.
The Fuji Electric product line offers all of these process connections on its FKC, FKA, FKG, FKB, FKD, FKM, FYC, FYG, FYB, and FYD models.
Fuji Electric France, based in Clermont-Ferrand, is one of the few French manufacturers of RCC-E-qualified nuclear-pressure transmitters , currently undergoing ISO 19443 certification, with a comprehensive product line covering relative, absolute, and differential measurements for nuclear facilities.
A RCC-E qualified pressure transmitter is a pressure transmitter that has demonstrated, through standardized testing, its ability to perform its measurement function under both normal and accident conditions (LOCA, earthquake) in a PWR nuclear power plant. The RCC-E is the qualification standard used by EDF in France.
To perform a safety function in a nuclear power plant, a sensor must be qualified in accordance with RCC-E (France/EDF), IEEE 323/344 (international), or KTA 3505 (Germany). The manufacturer’s ISO 19443 certification guarantees a quality management system suitable for the nuclear industry. SIL2/SIL3 certifications may also be required.
Analogical nuclear pressure transmitters offer superior radiation resistance, a simplified design with no programmable digital components, and reduced cybersecurity risks—three key advantages for safety-classified systems in reactor buildings.
Fuji Electric offers a complete range of RCC-E-qualified nuclear pressure transmitters , specifically designed to meet the most stringent requirements for safety, reliability, and availability in nuclear facilities.
Designed and manufactured in France, these pressure transmitters are based on:
The product line covers various types of pressure measurement (relative, absolute, differential) and is integrated intomeasurement and safety functions, offering long-term reliability tailored to the long lifespans of nuclear facilities.
The FKR gauge pressure transmitter – nuclear version strengthens Fuji Electric's nuclear range by meeting the needs of highly critical and high-pressure applications.
This pressure transmitter out in particular for:
Designed to ensure the safety and availability of nuclear facilities, the FKR pressure transmitter is fully in line with Fuji Electric's approach to securing critical processes over the long term.
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Safety
Reliability
Performance
RCC-E-certified nuclear pressure transmitter — Fuji Electric’s 6 guarantees:
Fuji Electric, a French manufacturer currently undergoing ISO 19443 certification, designs and manufactures RCC-E-qualified nuclear pressure transmitters in France for nuclear power plants (NPPs). Each sensor is developed to ensure reliable safety performance throughout the entire service life of your nuclear facility.
A qualified nuclear pressure transmitter used in a safety-critical application must offer much more than just reliable measurement. It must be part of a comprehensive safety strategy, ensure consistent performance over a 60-year lifecycle, and meet the specific requirements of critical industrial environments—such as the reactor building, primary systems, and containment building.
Fuji Electric’s teams assist manufacturers in selecting and installing RCC-E nuclear qualified pressure transmitters , manufactured in France, to ensure reliable and long-term availability of nuclear facilities.
Sylvain GRAVEROT
Nuclear qualification/certification engineer and safety expert
