1. Design criteria

The design of instrumentation systems is based on a rigorous approach that includes solution choices and design rules, the most basic of which are issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) or the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

In France, the set of normative documents governing the field of nuclear instrumentation for power reactors is the RCC-E (Règles de conception et de construction des matériels électriques des îlots nucléaires) published by the AFCEN (Association française pour les règles de conception et de construction des chaudières électronucléaires).

A nuclear instrumentation system must be designed according to its safety role.

In accordance with the IAEA classification, a distinction is made between classified systems (important to safety) and unclassified systems (not...