Obsolescence

Obsolescence Solutions

Obsolescence is an all too common challenge for today’s operating nuclear plants. The term obsolescence is most often used in the nuclear industry to describe equipment and parts that are no longer available for purchase. These items are commercially obsolete. To a lesser extent, obsolescence is also used when describing equipment for which there is a far superior replacement available, irrespective of whether or not the original equipment can still be procured. These items are functionally obsolete.

A third type of obsolescence exists, and this typically occurs when a plant has made an equipment substitution. Any equipment or spare parts remaining in inventory that are no longer needed at the plant are obsolete inventory. This is not an area that requires a solution.

Commercial obsolescence is most often caused when manufacturers, catering primarily to their non-nuclear customers, create new and better designs and stop manufacturing the older models. There is also a trickle-down obsolescence effect when a manufacturer can no longer obtain parts or materials from their suppliers. Commercial obsolescence can follow functional obsolescence, or may be the result of extremely low demand, such that businesses unprofitable drop product lines, or even go out of business.

Obsolescence affects just about everyone in their daily lives, however, the nuclear industry is impacted to a far greater extent due to the difficulties involved with changing equipment and designs. NLI’s sole focus is the nuclear industry and to some extent, nearly everything we supply to the operating units is an obsolescence solution. In fact the very first product NLI ever sold was an obsolescence solution because had NLI not stepped in to provide quality assurance support, half the sites in the US would have obsolete batteries.

Finding the Best Fit

Most obsolete equipment has some type of alternative(s) available in the marketplace. The suppliers of these products can offer plenty of reasons why their particular replacement should be chosen. We at NLI take a different path by looking at all possible alternatives and determining the best fit. There are no standard answers at NLI – we provide customers with the best solutions for their obsolete equipment challenges.

Being Preactive

The nuclear industry has spent a great deal of effort in an attempt to become more proactive with obsolescence, but there are far more instances where sites and suppliers are forced to be reactive. Given the difficulties of being truly proactive and the consequences of being truly reactive, NLI has chosen to be proactively reactive, or preactive!

Being preactive means anticipating areas of need, rather than attempting to predict which specific piece of equipment will become obsolete next. Being preactive means having the right engineers on staff and the right partnerships in place so that we can react with amazing speed and efficiency. Being preactive is the best of both worlds.

The following are specific examples of obsolescence solutions NLI offers to the industry.

Masterpacts & Cradles – Legacy breakers use obsolete maintenance-intensive technology and plants are facing obsolescence challenges obtaining repair parts. The Masterpact breaker racks into a custom cradle, which racks into the existing switchgear cell without modifications. Plants struggle with overhauling old breakers as well as obtaining spare parts. This is both a functional and commercial challenge and NLI solves both with this one solution.

QTRCO Actuators – Perhaps the world’s first premium quarter-turn pneumatic actuator, the QTRCO actuator could have been mounted using adapter brackets to replace obsolete Contromatics models (just one of many actuator models we can replace with the QTRCO actuator), but we instead chose to modify the body allowing this innovative design to be a bolt-on replacement. Again, NLI solves both the commercial and functional challenges of obsolete actuators.

Power Supplies – NLI offers reverse engineered power supplies, inverters, and other similar components to replace obsolete equipment from Lambda and other manufacturers.

Boards – NLI supplies reverse engineered boards, which typically requires a complete redesign due to many of the discrete components also being obsolete.

Adaptiview – The latest in state-of-the-art chiller controls, the Adaptiview from our partner Trane not only replaces obsolete analog controls, but runs the chillers so much more efficiently, it can extend the life of old obsolete chillers as well.

Pump Parts – NLI works in partnership with Standard Alloys to provide replacement impellers and other pump parts, extending the life of obsolete centrifugal pumps indefinitely.