From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,ec3b1a84cab8fc8a X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2001-09-10 15:35:57 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!newsfeed.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news-out.visi.com!hermes.visi.com!pulsar.dimensional.com!dimensional.com!coop.net!newsfeed1.global.lmco.com!newsfeed3.global.lmco.com!news.vf.lmco.com!not-for-mail From: Steve Howard Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Ada and the NMD Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 17:36:21 -0400 Organization: Lockheed Martin NE&SS-Syracuse Message-ID: <3B9D3254.BD63BCD9@nospam.com> References: <3B970152.4AC6C6E3@PublicPropertySoftware.com> <3B9C54EA.BD41C417@adaworks.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: dhcpeng2029.syr.lmco.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: knight.vf.lmco.com 1000157778 9904 144.219.231.236 (10 Sep 2001 21:36:18 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.vf.lmco.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 10 Sep 2001 21:36:18 GMT X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (WinNT; U) X-Accept-Language: en Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:13019 Date: 2001-09-10T21:36:18+00:00 List-Id: David Bolen wrote: > Richard Riehle writes: > > > Ada, once it is understood on its own merits instead of as a > > military-only programming language, may prove just as valuable for > > certain software applications. I note you are from Boeing. > > Certainly, Boeing has found some virtue in Ada for some > > products. Also, since this discussion involves nuclear energy, it > > would be remiss of us to overlook the fact that some of the newest > > nuclear power plants under construction (alas, not in the United > > States) will have software developed in Ada. > > Anyone know what current US plants are using for their control systems? Relay logic. Although it has been a few years (12, to be exact) since I worked in the nuclear industry, my guess is that things have not changed significantly in that time frame. At that time, AFAIR, there was no computer control of any of the safety-related systems of any commercial reactor. The systems used were purely relay and electronic logic based. Even one of the last reactors commissioned, completed ca. 1990 (Nine Mile Point Unit II in Oswego, NY) did not use computers for controlling the reactor. Some auxiliary systems used computers for control (rad waste processing). Computers served almost exclusively a monitoring role. The main plant computer collected data for display, and to use for fuel calculations, but the reactor controls and instrumentation used analog gauges, meters, and controls. Other computer systems monitored radiation levels, meteorological conditions, etc., mostly for use in emergency preparedness. In my experience, these were programmed in assembly or FORTRAN. Around that time, some plants were installing digital feedwater control systems, replacing the older control systems. I did not have any exposure to these systems, but the were probably micro-controller based. Steve -- Steve Howard Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics & Surveillance Systems-Syracuse stephen.e.howard at lmco dot com (315)456-7579