More About Operator Monitoring under Normal Operations: The Role of Workload Regulation and the Impact of Control Room Technology

1998 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-233
Author(s):  
Kim J. Vicente ◽  
Randall J. Mumaw ◽  
Emilie M. Roth
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
The Impact

This paper is part of a research program that we have been conducting to better understand how operators monitor a nuclear power plant under normal operations. A field study was conducted in a modern plant that has more automation and more computer-based displays than the two plants that we had observed in previous studies. Eleven operators were observed for a total of approximately 88 hours. The findings suggest that operators actively adopt strategies to regulate their workload so as not to exceed their resource constraints. In addition, the results suggest that computer-based control rooms require operators to have more knowledge about the interface (not the plant itself) than do the older analog, hard-wired control rooms. Moreover, computer-based designs require operators to reduce the degrees of freedom in the design to have context-sensitive information, whereas hard-wired designs require operators to expand the degrees of freedom.

Human Factors Considerations for Implementation of A “Green Board” Concept in an Existing “Red/Green” Power Plant Control Room

1981 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Osborne ◽  
H. F. Barsam ◽  
D. C. Burgy
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Control Room ◽  
Power Plant Control ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Plant Control

Various human factors issues have been raised in recent years concerning the operability of nuclear power plant control rooms. The plethora of status indicator lights which must be monitored effectively has prompted the development of alternative control board design layouts to increase ease of operation. A study was conducted to address the feasibility of implementing the “green board” concept in a nuclear power plant control room which has an existing “red/green” board. The research included a comparison of current control room display and design concepts as well as an identification of the impact that the “green board” modification could have upon various aspects of daily plant operation. Recommendations based on the information gathered during the study specify that existing control rooms should be modified to incorporate the “green board” concept for more effective operation. In addition, a recommendation was made that further research should be conducted to investigate the following parameters: (1) detection time, (2) the effects of stress, training and different approaches to computerizing status indicators on operability; and (3) CRT color-coding compatability during off-normal operation.

scholarly journals A Superfluid Perspective on Neutron Star Dynamics

Universe ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Nils Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Neutron Star ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Temperature Scale ◽  
Fluid System ◽  
Fluid Core ◽  
State Of Matter ◽  
Entrainment Effect ◽  
Neutron Component ◽  
The Impact

As mature neutron stars are cold (on the relevant temperature scale), one has to carefully consider the state of matter in their interior. The outer kilometre or so is expected to freeze to form an elastic crust of increasingly neutron-rich nuclei, coexisting with a superfluid neutron component, while the star’s fluid core contains a mixed superfluid/superconductor. The dynamics of the star depend heavily on the parameters associated with the different phases. The presence of superfluidity brings new degrees of freedom—in essence we are dealing with a complex multi-fluid system—and additional features: bulk rotation is supported by a dense array of quantised vortices, which introduce dissipation via mutual friction, and the motion of the superfluid is affected by the so-called entrainment effect. This brief survey provides an introduction to—along with a commentary on our current understanding of—these dynamical aspects, paying particular attention to the role of entrainment, and outlines the impact of superfluidity on neutron-star seismology.

The Role of Ambient Intelligent Environments for Tracking Functional Decline

2015 ◽  
pp. 152-172
Author(s):  
Usman Naeem ◽  
Richard Anthony ◽  
Abdel-Rahman Tawil ◽  
Muhammad Awais Azam ◽  
David Preston
Keyword(s):  
Activity Recognition ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Sensitive Information ◽  
Context Sensitive ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Ambient Intelligent ◽  
Rich Information

We live in a ubiquitous world where we are surrounded by context sensitive information and smart devices that are able to capture information about our surroundings unobtrusively. Making use of such rich information can enable recognition of activities conducted by elderly users, and in turn can allow the possibility of tracking any functional decline. This chapter highlights the current methods for unobtrusively recognising activities of daily living within a home environment for people with physical or cognitive disabilities. A main group for which this is important for are Alzheimer's patients. The chapter also bases the discussion of what makes a successful environment for carrying out accurate activity recognition, which is then followed by a proposed taxonomy of the key characteristics that are required for robust activity recognition within a smart environment, contextualised with real-life scenarios.

scholarly journals Does Combined Heat and Power Play the Role of a Bridge in Energy Transition? Evidence from a Cross-Country Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyo-Jin Kim ◽  
Jeong-Joon Yu ◽  
Seung-Hoon Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Parameter Estimate ◽  
Combined Heat And Power ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

In an era of energy transition involving an increase in renewable energy and a reduction in coal-fired power generation and nuclear power generation, the role of combined heat and power (CHP) as a bridging energy is highly emphasized. This article attempts to look empirically into the impact of increasing the share of renewable energy in total electricity generation on CHP share in total electricity generation in a cross-country context. Data from 35 countries during the period 2009–2015 were used, and the least absolute deviations estimator was applied to obtain a more robust parameter estimate. The results showed that a 1%p increase in the share of renewable energy significantly increased the CHP share by 0.87%p. Therefore, the hypothesis that CHP serves as bridge energy in the process of energy transition was established.

Gender and Computer Anxiety

2005 ◽  
pp. 1257-1265
Author(s):  
Sue E. Kase ◽  
Frank E. Ritter
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Computer Anxiety ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
The Past ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

Because of their ability to enhance productivity, computers have become ubiquitous in the workplace. By the early 1990s the use of computers in the workplace reached a per capita penetration that the telephone took 75 years to achieve (Webster & Martocchio, 1992). During the past several decades, there has been both speculation and hard research related to the psychological effects of computer technology. More recently the role of attitudes towards computers in influencing the acceptance and use of computer-based management information systems (MIS) has been highlighted by a growing number of MIS researchers. Generally, these studies focus on the negative attitudes towards computers and concerns about the impact of MIS on individual performance in the workplace.

Transitioning Nuclear Power Plant Main Control Room From Paper Based Procedures to Computer Based Procedures

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1605-1609 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Lew ◽  
Ronald L. Boring ◽  
Thomas A. Ulrich
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Hybrid Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Maintenance Cost ◽  
Human Errors ◽  
Nuclear Control ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Control Rooms ◽  
Analog Systems

The United States (U.S.) has 99 operating Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). The majority of these were designed and commissioned in the 1970s and 1980s. Plants are modernizing their control systems and main control rooms to be able to continue operating past their original 40-year license agreements. U.S. NPP main control rooms are migrating towards hybrid controls with both digital and analog systems. Digital upgrades, while costly, provide improved reliability, reduced maintenance cost, and the potential for fewer unplanned outages and fewer human errors. U.S. utilities have been slow to embrace computerized procedure system (CBP) research, even though CBPs demonstrate clear operational and human factors benefits. Most of the CBP research has been oriented to new reactor designs or full digital control rooms and is not applicable to the piecemeal modernization approach favored by U.S. plants. Research is needed to examine how CBPs impact operations in hybrid control rooms, and how current paper based procedures can be efficiently migrated to computerized platforms. Work is underway to develop tools and perform the obligatory research needed to design and validate CBPs for modernized U.S. nuclear control rooms.

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.

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