Interpreting guidelines for nuclear power plant control rooms

1983 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Voss ◽  
Walter T. Talley ◽  
Clifford C. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plant Control ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Plant Control

Use of Panel Enhancements as Operator Aids in Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms

1983 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-92
Author(s):  
Candace Weiss
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Power Plant Control ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Plant Control

Topical panel enhancement techniques were designed and implemented for one nuclear power plant control room. Panel enhancements designed and implemented effectively can be good operator aids for the searching and identifying of plant instrumentation, and in processing of information. This paper discusses the purpose for providing operator aids through topical panel enhancements, and the constraints and methodology used in designing and implementing three panel enhancement techniques.

Survey and Assessment of Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Operability

1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 267-270
Author(s):  
Clifford C. Baker ◽  
Robin West ◽  
Kenneth M. Mallory
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Human Engineering ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Power Plant Control ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Plant Control

As part of an effort to develop human engineerging guidelines and a methodology for the evaluation of nuclear power plant control room operability, the Essex Corporation conducted T & E (test and evaluation) reviews of a wide sample of nuclear power plant control rooms. The objectives of these design reviews were: 1) selection, application, and development of human engineering evaluation guidelines applicable to the nuclear power industry; 2) selection and development of data collection and analysis procedures; and 3) identification of recurrent human engineering design problems in the control rooms of currently operating nuclear power plants. The present paper discusses the approach taken and the findings in item three above. Thirteen control rooms were visited, and guidelines and data collection methods under various degrees of development were applied. Following control room visits, data were analyzed according to usability, number of incidences of similar or identical operability design problems, criticality of problems with respect to both public and plant safety, and subjective assessment of operational affects due to human engineering problems in design. Results to date show that the following areas have recurrent operability design problems: layout of controls and displays according to either operational or functional use; coding of information for visual and auditory presentation; job performance aid and procedures design; communications; environmental factors such as ambient noise; violations in control and display conventions employed; use of conventions which violate population stereotypes; and failure to design within anthropometric constraints. Further work is being conducted by Essex Corporation to identify critical human engineering deficiencies in control room design and to select adequate yet cost-effective and corrective backfits.

Procedures for Human Engineering Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant Control Rooms

1980 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-275
Author(s):  
Kenneth M. Mailory ◽  
Clifford C. Baker ◽  
Robin K. West
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Human Engineering ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Room Design ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Power Plant Control ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Plant Control

Few human engineering standards or criteria for the design of nuclear power plant control rooms existed prior to the accident at Three Mile Island — Unit 2. For the most part control room design was dictated by electrical criteria, costs, and, most importantly, by precedent evolved from fossil fuel plant experience. Since the TMI-2 accident, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has undertaken an ambitious program to develop control room design and operational guidelines to be used by utilities in evaluating the human engineering fitness of control rooms and in identifying human engineering problems requiring backfit. The following paper reviews the method used to develop control room guidelines, the process suggested to the utilities for performing control room evaluations, and sources for and the content of guidelines. As reported in the paper, evaluation guidelines evolved from a basic set of military standards and checklists through a series of on-site control room reviews. The methods used in these reviews involve surveys, checklists, and videotaped walk-throughs of emergency procedures. The final product is a Guidebook containing: (a) procedures for scheduling, planning, administration, and staffing of human engineering reviews; (b) the evaluation procedures to be used, including guidelines, human engineering data, references, and methods; (c) a trade-off process for sorting out problems needing immediate vs. more remote attention; and (d) suggestions for backfits for the human engineering problems most widespread in the industry.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document