User Computer Interface Issues in Nuclear Process Control: Research and Applications

Abstract

The use of computer systems are becoming increasingly prominent as process control and information management tools in nuclear facilities. Eventually, it is believed that almost all plant processes will be controlled and monitored via some type of computer interface. The human factors data base of design guidelines, criteria and methods for evaluating the person-process interface is far from complete. Over the past four years, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been examining certain aspects of computer technology for process control functions to supplement the human factors data base and design practices. A major objective of this symposium is to introduce these findings in a cohesive set of four papers which address related UCI issues. An evaluation of the findings will be made from different viewpoints provided by a panel of experts. The case study approach is used in the first paper to describe the process and benefits obtained from incorporating human factors guidelines and methods in the design of a complex CRT display system for process control applications. Five different methodologies are summarized for usefulness in evaluating the effectiveness of CRT generated displays in the second paper. The methodologies are (1) psychophysics, (2) multidimensional rating, (3) checklist evaluation, (4) non-interactive evaluation, and (5) interactive evaluation. The third paper reports on the diagnostic and recovery performance of nuclear power plant operators with and without a response tree computer-based aid. Identification of technological changes in control room operations are described in the fourth paper. A modified Delphi approach was combined with the Analytical Hierarchical Process to categorize and relate technology advances and to determine the relative likelihood of achieving these conceptual changes in person-process interface systems in the near term.