Digital Control Room and Human System Interface Technologies: Opportunities and Challenges

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Digital Control Room and Human System Interface
Technologies Opportunities and Challenges

• Joseph Naser
• IAEA Technical Meeting on Integration of Analog
  and Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems
  in Hybrid Main Control Rooms at Nuclear Power
  Plants
• October 29 November 2, 2007
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Exciting Time For Nuclear Industry

• Operating plants and nuclear non-reactor
  facilities throughout the world are modernizing
  IC and control rooms
• New plants are being planned and built worldwide
• 30 currently under construction around the world
• Expecting license applications for 27 new plants
  in US alone by the end of 2008
• New global opportunities to
• Develop cost-effective electricity generating
  plants to help raise the standard of living
  throughout the world
• Reduce CO2 production by electricity generating
  plants to help successfully resolve the
  challenges of global warming
• Excitement exists in the Nuclear Industry that
  has been missing in most countries for many years

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Digital Technology

• Offers opportunities, when used effectively, for
• Increased functionality and productivity
• Reduced operations and maintenance costs
• Increased reliability and availability
• Enhanced safety
• Added flexibility and performance advantages
• Enables an infrastructure that allows people to
  do their job better and faster with less
  likelihood of human error through the
  availability of the right information, to the
  right people, at the right time, in an easy to
  understand form
• Provides a technology that young people are used
  to and will be more attractive to bring them into
  the industry

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Control Rooms

• New plant control rooms
• Digital control room

• Progression of operating plants control rooms
• Conventional control room
• Hybrid control room
• Digital control room

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Near-Term HSI Trends - General

• Large expansive control rooms to centralization
  of HSIs into compact workstations and overview
  displays
• Crew direct interaction with plant systems and
  components to interaction through computer
  systems
• Physical HSIs to virtual HSIs
• Parallel access to HSIs to serial access to HSIs
  through view ports (keyholes)
• Fixed HSIs to flexible HSIs
• Limited functionality to expanding functionality
  of HSIs

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Near-Term HSI Trends - Specific HSI Resources

• Increased information access and improved
  representation
• Displays contain more data information
  processing, and integration
• Alarm reduction processing and management
• Greater application of automation and types of
  automation
• Soft control of equipment, systems, and processes
• Computerized procedures
• Computerized operator support systems

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Impact on Crew Performance

• Trends include key HSI elements affecting
  performance
• Plant information, procedures, and controls
• Advanced HSI technology can both enhance and
  degrade performance
• Benefits are compelling
• Data validation and improved information access
• Information can be presented in ways not possible
  with conventional equipment
• Greater flexibility to customize HSIs to unique
  task requirements, individual differences, and
  preferences
• Support for difficult operational activities
• Greater capability to expand and upgrade

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Challenges Still Remain

• It is critical that HSIs support safe and
  economic operation and reduce the likelihood of
  human error
• Design, technical, and regulatory challenges
  still exist
• HSIs and associated human factors can not be
  considered in isolation but rather as an integral
  part of IC as IC decisions have both
  consequences for and demands on HSIs and visa
  versa
• Regulatory issues and guidance need to be
  addressed generically to reduce costs, risks, and
  time required to license digital modernization of
  operating plants and nuclear non-reactor
  facilities, and new plants
• Since plants, systems, and equipment are being
  supplied by international companies to many
  countries, we have a global nuclear industry, so
  as much common agreement on technical and
  regulatory requirements as possible is desired

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Visualization Technology to Help Survive in and
Take Advantage of the Digital World

• More information available due to advances in
• Sensors Computers Data
  base access Communications
• If not understandable, more information
  can lead to overload and hinder the
  user
• Visualization powerful means to overcome
  information overload - can show views
  and relationships not possible
  otherwise
• Incoming and next generation workers will
  expect this technology -
  many are using it now

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Visualization Representations To Prevent
Information Overload in the Control Room

• Use visualization technology to turn large
  amounts of data into images that
• Reduce perceived complexity
• Identify new relationships
• Provide new insights
• Unlock hidden secrets
• See the forest - not just the trees

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High-Level Overview Display
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High-Level Overview Display
Function B
Function A
System 1
System 2
System 5
System 6
211
15
1004
87
System 3
System 4
System 7
System 8
32
719
45
87
Function D
Function C
System 9
System 10
System 13
System 14
1289
325
501
421
System 11
System 12
System 15
System 16
870
671
97
285
Status-at-a-Glance and Performance Indication
Functionality
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Display Hierarchy
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
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Display Dynamics

• System dynamics
• Trending over time
• Projection to future states by mathematical
  prediction or simulation models

70
60
50
40
30
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Predicted
Current
Past
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Visualization Example
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Visualization to Support Control Room Upgrade

• Photo of right side of Control
  room virtual model
• control room

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Demonstration
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Visualization Evaluation Tool Views

• Supervisors seated view Operators
  reach envelope

• Operators field of view Readability
  measurements

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Visualization

• Powerful means to support activities such as
  training, practice, planning, design, evaluation,
  education, decision-making, off-site support,
  information presentation, knowledge capture,
• Cost-effective and easy-to-use tools exist
• Visualization incredible enabler to
• Help people and organizations to do their job
  better, faster, easier, and with less likelihood
  of error
• Produce more useful products and tools for the
  electric power industry including nuclear
• Improvement on products currently being developed
• Open whole new areas of products

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Something to Consider

• If a picture is worth a thousand words -
  visualization is worth a thousand pictures

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What Can We Do with Digital Technology?

• Opportunities and benefits are limited only by
  your imagination!

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Welcome!!

• Thank you for being here in what will be a great
  meeting due to your active participation

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Questions?