Nuclear Solutions

SEL maintains exclusive partnerships with two of the nuclear power industry’s most trusted companies—Framatome and Curtiss-Wright Nuclear—who are authorized to qualify and support our products for safety-related nuclear applications.

The SEL partnership with Framatome and Curtiss-Wright marks a step-change in the nuclear power industry. Now, for the first time in the 40+ years that digital protective relays have been on the market, a full line of intelligent electronic devices is available for safety-related applications.

Our partners have long track records of implementing industry standards and guidance, as well as navigating the regulatory requirements for evaluating and dedicating digital relays. Each has devoted significant effort to testing and documenting SEL products to verify that they meet the rigorous requirements of the nuclear industry.

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Comprehensive Protection and Control Solutions

Framatome and Curtiss-Wright Nuclear qualify SEL devices for safety related nuclear applications in these areas and more:

Differential protection
Feeder protection
Generator protection
Motor protection
Transformer protection

See Our Partners’ Solutions

Contact Our Partners

If you’re planning a modernization project or considering your options, contact one of our partners.

Each of our partners has the same access to SEL products and technologies and works closely with us on technical support and service. Choose the company that best meets your needs.

How SEL and the Integrator Work for You

Together, SEL and the integrator of your choice will ensure that your modernization and upgrade projects meet regulatory requirements and achieve your operating objectives.

The nuclear integrator works closely with SEL and is your first point of contact throughout the entire lifecycle of your solution.

One of our partners—Framatome or Curtiss-Wright—will perform commercial-grade dedication, including all aspects of testing, documentation, and compliance necessary to implement SEL products in all levels of safety-related and quality-related nuclear systems.

The integrator will obtain the proper SEL product and qualify it for your application in accordance with the engineering change package and may also be contracted to install and commission the complete system, if desired.

After the system is operational, the integrator and our nuclear partners work with SEL to provide ongoing technical support for all SEL devices.

Upgrading electric power protection and control systems from electromechanical and solid-state relays to modern digital protective relays brings many benefits:

Improved operational flexibility—one SEL digital relay can provide the functionality of several electromechanical relays.
Increased reliability and availability—digital relays require less time out of operation for repair and maintenance.
Lower lifetime cost of operation—monitoring the health and performance of power system components helps increase operational efficiency and prevent expensive equipment failures.
Technical support—SEL provides responsive support and service for the entire lifecycle of our devices.

Operational Flexibility

Modern digital relays increase access to decision-making information that can increase operational efficiency. They also produce detailed data that can be recorded and analyzed to provide greater insight into the health and performance of the power system.

One intelligent electronic device (IED) provides functionality that can replace multiple legacy devices. In addition, digital protective relays perform continuous self-diagnostics and issue alarms in case of failure, helping to ensure that protection systems are functional.

Our experts can configure a cybersecure communication system that will allow valuable system information collected by the SEL relays to be securely shared to plant process computing systems to allow for real-time decision making and data collection.

Proven Reliability

In the 40 years since SEL introduced the first microprocessor-based digital relays to the market, we have been relentlessly focused on quality and reliability.

The industry-leading reliability of SEL products—and the support we offer our customers—are major reasons why we are North America’s most trusted provider of protective relays and are ranked #1 by international utilities in price, service, support, technology, and ease of use.

Durable by Design

SEL devices are designed for a working life of at least 20 years and routinely exceed it.

They are designed to withstand the world’s most challenging environments, exceeding all industry standards for temperature, shock, and electric stress. An optional conformal coating gives electronic components extra protection against corrosion and contamination in extreme conditions.

Less Downtime and Fewer Repairs

Less downtime, less need for maintenance, and lower repair cost mean a lower lifetime cost of operation.

SEL digital protective relays provide significantly longer maintenance intervals as compared to electromechanical relays.

The mean time between failures (MTBF) for SEL digital protective relays is more than 1,000 years on average.* In addition, digital relays perform continuous self-diagnostic routines and send alarms when the device’s protective functions or communications may not be operating correctly. With no moving parts, SEL relays are not susceptible to drift and are always in calibration.

And a reliability study based on 25 years of operational data shows that the unavailability time due to failures and repairs is 10 times lower for SEL digital relays than for electromechanical relays.

*This MTBF metric was calculated in April 2023.

The Industry’s Best Warranty and Support

SEL digital relays are supported by a comprehensive ten-year warranty and lifetime technical support.

If an SEL product fails under warranty, there is no charge for repair or replacement. In addition, we always do all that we can to repair any returned product, whether it’s under warranty or not.

Technical support and repair/replacement services are available for the entire life of every SEL device, no matter how long it has been in service.

SEL support teams are stationed in regional offices around the world and staffed with application engineers who are experts in our products and in power system applications. No matter how long your SEL products have been in service, our customer service and technical support professionals are ready to help.

Security Bulletins and Updates

The source code used in our devices is continually monitored for new threats, and customers are notified of updates and security patches for the full service life of every SEL product.

Software and firmware updates are distributed to our customers via secure file transfer, and their authenticity and integrity are verifiable through digital signatures and cryptographic hashes.

Quality and Reliability Philosophy

See how we ensure quality in everything we do.

Warranty and Technical Support

See how we support our products and our customers.

Reliability of Digital Protective Relays

Read our technical paper assessing the long-term reliability of microprocessor-based digital protective relays.

Cybersecurity

IEDs and network communications offer improved operational flexibility and reliability—but they also bring cybersecurity concerns.

Cybersecurity has been a primary consideration at SEL ever since we introduced the first microprocessor-based digital relays to the market in 1984, and we continue to lead the electric power industry in developing operational technology systems that maximize both cybersecurity and ease of operation.

We thoroughly test the source code in our devices to ensure their quality, security, and functionality. Source code is continually monitored for new threats, and customers are notified of updates and security patches for the full service life of every SEL product.

Meeting Regulatory Requirements

SEL has decades of experience in creating cybersecure operational technology systems. Our partners are well-versed in the cybersecurity requirements specific to nuclear facilities and can aid in cybersecurity assessments and approvals.

Together, your integrator and SEL will ensure that the electric power protection and control systems in your facilities not only meet all regulatory cybersecurity requirements, but also maximize both functionality and ease of operation.

From our knowledge base:

Layered Cybersecurity Defenses

SEL products support the use of layered cyber defenses to help keep your systems secure.

These defenses incorporate security features that support the specific purpose of each part of the system, such as:

Software-defined networking (SDN) for secure communications.
Role-based access controls.
Integration with multifactor authentication systems and one-time-password (OTP) solutions.
Encrypted external communications via VPN with IPsec.
Hardened engineering access and HMI systems.

SEL networking solutions and automation controllers can also be integrated into security information and event management (SIEM) and intrusion detection systems (IDSs), which help detect and counter cyber attacks before they disrupt operations.

Ensuring a Secure Supply Chain

We practice secure supply chain management and comply with all applicable supply chain and cybersecurity standards, including U.S. DFAR supply chain security and risk management clauses.

Our electronic devices are designed, tested, and manufactured in the U.S.A., in facilities we own and operate. Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are sourced exclusively from American manufacturers.

The information security, quality, safety, and environmental management systems that underpin SEL research, development, manufacturing, and corporate environments are each certified to internationally recognized standards by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

In addition, SEL manufacturing, research, and business facilities are protected by layered cybersecurity defenses and stringent physical security measures.

Security Support

See how we help you keep your installed SEL devices cybersecure.

Secure Supply Chain Management

Our supply chain is part of your supply chain. See how we keep it secure.

System and Product Certifications

The systems that underpin SEL R&D, manufacturing, and corporate environments are certified to internationally recognized standards.

Cybersecurity Solutions

SEL provides services, solutions, and resources that support and defend electric power systems.

Engineering Services

SEL Engineering Services works closely with our partners, providing technical input in the engineering design change packages they develop.

Outside the “nuclear fence,” where nuclear safety ratings are not required, SEL provides fully engineered, turnkey solutions for every part of the electrical grid.

More About SEL Engineering Services

Cybersecurity Assessment and Support Services

From system assessment and baselining to cyber-defense solution development and ongoing system management, our full suite of security services can help strengthen your defenses and streamline the demands of maintenance and regulatory compliance.

Cyber services support contracts can include incident response, audits, system hardening, patch/update management, and more, depending on your anticipated needs.