Routine Core Verification of Byron Unit 1 Completed in 49 Minutes Using the Newton Labs NM200E System


BYRON, ILLINOIS - Outage crews on Unit 1 at the Byron Generating Station were able initiate the upper internals lift earlier than scheduled, based in part on the rapid completion of fuel assembly mapping by engineers from Newton Labs using the Newton NM200E Core Verification System. Only 49 minute were required to fully map all 193 assemblies, finishing well within the five and a half hours scheduled for this activity on the Critical Path. The total deployment-to-recovery elapsed time for the NM200E system was two and a half hours.



The NM200E tool has been adopted by Exelon as their primary method for determining nozzle position in their PWRs and has been deployed at a number of other nuclear plants in the U.S. and France. The Newton-developed NM200E software determines the positions of Westinghouse and AREVA PWR fuel assemblies based in part upon S-hole positions, and it is also able to map the more symmetrical Babcock and Wilcox nozzles.



About Newton Labs



Seattle based Newton Labs is a privately held manufacturer of machine vision, robotics and optical automation. A spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the company has for more than 20 years developed and marketed high-performance, computer-driven automation for industrial processes. Newton's products are designed to allow the quality, efficiency and cost effectiveness of computer technology to replace the human element in virtually every industry. Newton Labs has deployed more than 20,000 machine vision, robotic and automation systems worldwide. Additional information about Newton and its products may be found at www.newtonlabs.com.

All Topics