Access Solutions and Xerafy provided an automated Foreign Materials Exclusion (FME) solution with RFID functionality to improve safety at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant in Homestead, Florida. The plant recently completed an extended power uprate (EPU) project that expanded its power generating capacity by 15 percent. The plant was offline during the EPU as thousands of contractors were on site to upgrade the facility. Access Solutions’ FME STARtrac(SM), AUTO-ID Foreign Material Exclusion system, featuring RFID tags from Xerafy on tools and materials used in the project, enhanced safety and provided asset tracking during the upgrade.
Challenge
FME is an essential component in protecting critical power generation equipment during maintenance. The power industry has experienced equipment failure when objects not part of the operational design are left behind following maintenance activities. FME STARtrac from Access Solutions reduces the potential of this happening by using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and other auto-ID technologies to identify and track tools, components and other assets. The software stores detailed asset information, alerting FME technicians if an item’s condition has changed or is left in a controlled area.
Solution
Thousands of Xerafy’s PICO Series and Data TRAK II tags were used to track tools and equipment during the Turkey Point EPU. Pico tags can be embedded directly into metal objects can be as small as 0.47 by 0.28 by 0.12 inch (12 by 7 by 3 mm). They are IP68 rated, comply with GS1 EPCglobal Gen 2 and ISO 18000-6 standards and offer up to 2k bits of user memory. Data Trak II is a larger, IP54-rated tag that provides additional mounting options and read range.
Xerafy RFID tags are a key component of the system because they are optimized to provide reliable identification when used on tools and other objects. Xerafy tags enabled the RFID readers utilized by the FME STARtrac software to accurately track the location of tools, equipment and other assets in real time. Xerafy offers a wide range of high-performance RFID tags that can be permanently attached or embedded into all types of objects.
Benefits
“In the nuclear industry all materials must be accounted for at all times, so the most accurate and reliable tracking systems are a requirement,” said Xerafy CMO Michel Gillmann. “Access Solutions has earned a reputation for improving safety and efficiency in the nuclear industry through its best practices and innovative solutions. We are proud that Access Solutions continues to select Xerafy to meet its RFID needs.”
When asked about why Access Solutions chose Xerafy, CEO Kelvin Mann stated, “We went with Xerafy because we have found that their tags are the most reliable and durable.”
About Access Solutions
Access Solutions provides Foreign Material Exclusion services and professional personnel to markets including the power generation industry. Leveraging its proprietary methodologies and experiences from over 150 projects nationwide and abroad, Access Solutions offers Total FME Ownership of critical components, FME advisory and site assessment services, advanced tool tethering and the ground-breaking, FME STARtrac(SM) automated FME platform. They offer the first, full-cycle AUTO-ID Enterprise FME/Asset Management system designed to track tools, materials, components and personnel.
Xerafy is a pioneer in Industrial RFID, bringing to market several innovations that enable advanced industrial identification and automation capabilities.
In addition to a complete range of field-proven RFID tags available off-the-shelf, Xerafy offers Custom RFID Tags services, covering everything from a personalization service bureau to custom-design engineering capabilities.
