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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Safety-Related Instrumentation and Control Pilot Upgrade: Initial Scoping Phase Implementation and Lessons Learned

In May 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff provided a digital instrumentation and control (I&C) regulatory infrastructure integrated action plan to the NRC for approval. One of the objectives of that plan was to establish a clear regulatory structure with reduced regulatory uncertainty to enable the expanded safe use of digital I&C in commercial nuclear reactors while continuing to ensure safety and security. To achieve this end, the NRC, with collaboration from industry, developed a streamlined License Amendment Request Alternate Review (AR) process for safety-related (SR) digital I&C upgrades. In spite of this effort, the industry has remained reluctant to perform such I&C upgrades because of perceived regulatory and financial risks associated with being the first or an early adopter of the AR process for SR I&C upgrades. The U.S. Department of Energy Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program at the Idaho National Laboratory performed Initial Scoping Phase research to help break this impasse by supporting a SR I&C Pilot Upgrade, working with MPR Associates, ScottMadden Inc., and Exelon Generation. Exelon’s Limerick Generating Station (LGS) was selected as the target for this research. This paper summarizes the Initial Scoping Phase engineering and operations, licensing, and project management activities necessary to bound the scope, schedule, and estimated cost of the project sufficiently to enable utility management authorization of Conceptual Design Phase activities. These efforts and associated products are intended to provide a template to support larger industry efforts to perform similar upgrades as a foundation stone for a digital transformation that will improve plant safety, reliability, and operational performance while lowering plant total cost of ownership. As a result of the combined effort of Exelon Generation and research participants, Conceptual Design Phase activities for the subject upgrade at LGS were approved by Exelon. Further, the U.S. Department of Energy also awarded a $50 million cost share award to Exelon in order to pave the way for SR I&C modernization and associated control room upgrades across the U.S. nuclear fleet. Additional research reports are planned for the Conceptual Design Phase, Detailed Design Phase, and the Implementation Phase of the LGS project to document the process followed and promulgate lessons learned to industry.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Baseline Human Factors and Ergonomics in Support of Control Room Modernization at Nuclear Power Plants

As part of control room modernization at a nuclear power plant, a utility should carefully follow the four phases prescribed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in NUREG-0711, Human Factors Engineering Program Review Model . These four phases include Planning and Analysis, Design, Verification and Validation, and Implementation and Operation. While NUREG-0711 is a useful guideline, it is written primarily from the perspective of regulatory review, and it therefore does not provide a nuanced account of many of the steps the utility might undertake as part of control room modernization. The guideline is largely summative—meant to catalog final products—rather than formative—meant to guide the overall modernization process. In this report, we highlight two crucial formative subelements of the Planning and Analysis phase specific to control room modernization that are not covered in NUREG-0711. These two subelements are the usability and ergonomics baseline evaluations. A baseline evaluation entails evaluating the system as-built and currently in use. The usability baseline evaluation provides key insights into operator performance using the control system currently in place. The ergonomic baseline evaluation identifies possible deficiencies in the physical configuration of the control system. Both baseline evaluations feed into the design of the replacement system and help ensure that control room modernization represents the successful evolution of the control system.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Safety Tests on Irradiated AGR-1 Compacts 3-3-2, 3-2-2, and 6-2-1

Post-irradiation examination (PIE) is in progress on coated particle fuel compacts from the first Advanced Gas Reactor irradiation experiment (AGR-1). The AGR-1 Post-Irradiation Examination Plan, INL/PLN- 2828/Rev. 1, includes safety testing of the irradiated compacts in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Core Conduction Cooldown Test Facility (CCCTF) facility and the Idaho National Laboratory Fuel Accident Condition Simulator (FACS) to evaluate the effect of elevated temperature on the fuel microstructure and fission product retention. Safety tests will involve heating compacts for 100– 500 hours to maximum temperatures of 1600°C–1800°C, where 1600°C is the expected maximum temperature during a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor depressurization conduction cooldown event, and 1800°C is the expected temperature at which the performance of the SiC layer will begin to degrade. ORNL completed the first AGR-1 post-irradiation compact safety test in FY2011. During the first two quarters of FY2012, three additional safety tests were completed. Each of these three compacts was heated up to a maximum temperature of 1600°C and held at this temperature for a period of 300 hours. The standard heating profile specified in each compact examination plan called for a controlled ramp of the furnace to 1600°C with soaks at 400 and 1250°C, a hold at 1600°C for 300 hours, and then a controlled ramp back down to room temperature. The CCCTF performed as designed, except for a few interruptions while the furnace was being ramped up to 1600°C. These interruptions were caused by several power supply problems and one mechanical problem with the cold finger. The root causes of these issues have been identified and addressed to ensure better reliability for future CCCTF operation.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Need for research and training reactors for advanced reactor designs

Full text of publication follows. Research and training reactors have served a valuable role in helping train workforce for currently operating fleet of light water reactors. These research and training reactors have been used in reactor laboratory classes to familiarize the students with such vital concepts as approach to criticality, reactor period, neutron moderation, reactivity, flux distribution and leakage, etc. As the industry moves toward advanced non-light-water reactor designs, it is critical that research and training reactors be developed and deployed at university campuses to help train the new generation of nuclear and non-nuclear engineers who are likely to design, build, and operate these advanced reactors. Among the designs currently being pursued for nuclear power generation include molten salt, sodium cooled, and gas cooled designs, with options for various fuel forms. Thus, industry and DOE in collaboration with academic institutions should devise plans on how to familiarize the next generation of nuclear workforce with hands-on experience necessary for such designs. These research and training reactors will play a vital role in familiarizing the future workforce with hands-on experience with concepts associated with fast spectrum reactors, gas cooled reactors, and other features not associated with light water reactors. In addition to classical nuclear engineering concepts, these advanced research and training reactors can also be used for hands-on training as well as for research on features being considered in the design of GEN-IV reactors: cyber security for digital control room operations, hybrid energy system, hydrogen generation, district heating, autonomous control... (author)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

3D Modeling of Safety-Related Upgrade Pilot Project

Constellation Energy and the United States Department of Energy (DOE) have established a public/private partnership to implement a pilot digital upgrade to replace legacy analog, safety-related reactor protection and emergency safety feature actuation systems (RPS/ESFAS) with modern digital systems. This effort is occurring at Constellation’s Limerick Generating Station. This project is being performed in accordance with industry processes that have been adapted to better support digital upgrades. These processes include IP-ENG-001, Standard Design Process, NISP-EN-04, Standard Digital Engineering Process and Electric Power Research Institute Report 3002011816, Digital Engineering Guide. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been supporting this effort. Latest INL HFE efforts in support of this project have focused on definition and implementation of the Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Program in support of Constellation design and related licensing efforts. This paper will present the development of the HFE 3D modeling execution of the Main Control Room safety upgrades. New equipment and modifications are planned for upgrading the new safety systems. 3D modeling allows for visualization of the new equipment and modifications to be shared with engineering and design teams for evaluation and review. Anthropometric considerations such as sight lines and functional reach can be evaluated directly using the 3D model. This effort has helped to provide visualizations for additional review with operations personnel and project stakeholders.

3D Modeling↗
DOE OSTI2022

Sensor Impact Evaluation at Different Sensor Locations in a Multi-zone Office Building

FY 2022 Q1 deliverables include the development of an emulator that can evaluate the sensor impacts at different sensor locations (i.e., thermostat locations) in a multizone office building. This report presents the detailed procedure of developing the emulator and using the emulator for preliminary sensor impact analysis. In designing new multizone buildings or retrofitting existing buildings, the room thermostat locations or subzoning design has been often determined by best practices without considering the effects of this design in terms of energy or thermal comfort. In subzoning design, the total number of thermostats is usually smaller than the total number of rooms. As a result, one thermostat in one room often controls the indoor temperature of several other adjacent rooms. For example, five zones might share one thermostat located in one of the zones. Because the demands for thermal load in different zones could be different for the multizone buildings, this subzoning design can compromise control performance and waste building energy consumption. Furthermore, for multizone buildings, subzoning could introduce thermal discomfort for zones. This issue has not be thoroughly investigated in simulation/field studies, and the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory explored the impacts of subzoning design through modeling and experimental study.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Impact of Wall Control Performance on Connected Lighting Systems

Wall controls form the only touchpoint for individual room users and that room’s lighting control system. As such, these interfaces strongly influence user understanding and utilization of the system, as well as overall acceptance. The Next Generation Lighting Systems (NGLS) program began an evaluation of the wall controls in 14 connected lighting systems installed in various rooms of the NGLS Living Lab at Parsons School of Design in New York City. These systems demonstrate the wide range of approaches to wall control setup and functionality taken by manufacturers. Characterizing the 14 controls across six attributes, only four, or 29%, were identical. Requirements for wall control design were not specified explicitly by NGLS. Rather, wall controls were required to provide system performance according to three criteria: vacancy control (manual on/auto off) of two zones; manual continuous dimming of the same two zones; and an AV presentation mode in one of the two zones. This report examines the classification of entries, the assessment method used to evaluate the systems from installation through day-to-day use, and the system performance observed to date for each.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

A Tale of Two Simulators—A Comparative Human-in-the-Loop Nuclear Power Plant Operations Study on Thermal Power Dispatch for Hydrogen Production

A study was designed for a reconfigurable, full-scale, full-scope nuclear power plant control room simulator to compare two different thermal power dispatch systems, on separate simulator platforms, demonstrating a TPD concept of operation. A TPD system can provide a desirable alternative revenue source for utilities but requires addressing new and unique operational issues. The selection of representative scenarios and the scenario-based experimental design are presented as key elements to capture evidence for validating the developed TPD concept of operations overcome these operational issues.

Ulrich, Thomas A.↗
DOE OSTI2017

A novel tool for improving the data collection process during control room modernization human-system interface testing and evaluation activities - 271

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program is developing a scientific basis to extend the existing U.S. nuclear power plant (NPP) operating life beyond the current 60-year licensing period and to ensure NPP long-term reliability, productivity, safety, and security. Under the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II and C) Systems Technologies pathway, the LWRS Program conducts targeted research and development to address long-term aging and obsolescence of existing instrumentation and control technologies, as well as to implement and test new digital II and C technology that enables broad innovation and business improvement in the NPP operating model. To this end, the role of human factors engineering (HFE) is important as part of ensuring that the control room modernization (CRM) activities account for the operator's cognitive and physiological characteristics. Part of the HFE process for CRM entails conducting tests and evaluations (T and Es) that will inform the design of new human-system interface (HSI) technologies. Qualitative data that captures operator feedback and important human-system interactions are an important part of T and E. However, the analyzing this qualitative data in order to provide actionable design recommendations can be time-consuming and error prone. This paper presents an early version of a tool, which uses a combination of natural language processing and supervised machine learning to support the analysis of qualitative data. The objectives of this tool is to improve the process of (1) sifting through freeform text for improved design issue identification, (2) maintaining consistency in theme coding conventions, and (3) readily providing actionable design guidance that can be traceable to state-of-the-art HFE guidelines such as NUREG-0700. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Applying Human Factors Evaluation and Design Guidance to a Nuclear Power Plant Digital Control System

The United States (U.S.) nuclear industry, like similar process control industries, has moved toward upgrading its control rooms. The upgraded control rooms typically feature digital control system (DCS) displays embedded in the panels. These displays gather information from the system and represent that information on a single display surface. In this manner, the DCS combines many previously separate analog indicators and controls into a single digital display, whereby the operators can toggle between multiple windows to monitor and control different aspects of the plant. The design of the DCS depends on the function of the system it monitors, but revolves around presenting the information most germane to an operator at any point in time. DCSs require a carefully designed human system interface. This report centers on redesigning existing DCS displays for an example chemical volume control system (CVCS) at a U.S. nuclear power plant. The crucial nature of the CVCS, which controls coolant levels and boration in the primary system, requires a thorough human factors evaluation of its supporting DCS. The initial digital controls being developed for the DCSs tend to directly mimic the former analog controls. There are, however, unique operator interactions with a digital vs. analog interface, and the differences have not always been carefully factored in the translation of an analog interface to a replacement DCS. To ensure safety, efficiency, and usability of the emerging DCSs, a human factors usability evaluation was conducted on a CVCS DCS currently being used and refined at an existing U.S. nuclear power plant. Subject matter experts from process control engineering, software development, and human factors evaluated the DCS displays to document potential usability issues and propose design recommendations. The evaluation yielded 167 potential usability issues with the DCS. These issues should not be considered operator performance problems but rather opportunities identified by experts to improve upon the design of the DCS. A set of nine design recommendations was developed to address these potential issues. The design principles addressed the following areas: (1) color, (2) pop-up window structure, (3) navigation, (4) alarms, (5) process control diagram, (6) gestalt grouping, (7) typography, (8) terminology, and (9) data entry. Visuals illustrating the improved DCS displays accompany the design recommendations. These nine design principles serve as the starting point to a planned general DCS style guide that can be used across the U.S. nuclear industry to aid in the future design of effective DCS interfaces.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Development of intelligent instruments with embedded HTTP servers for control and data acquisition in a cryogenic setup—The hardware, firmware, and software implementation

The power of Ethernet for control and automation technology is being largely understood by the automation industry in recent times. Ethernet with HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is one of the most widely accepted communication standards today. Ethernet is best known for being able to control through internet from anywhere in the globe. The Ethernet interface with built-in on-chip embedded servers ensures global connections for crate-less model of control and data acquisition systems which have several advantages over traditional crate-based control architectures for slow applications. This architecture will completely eliminate the use of any extra PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) or similar control hardware in any automation network as the control functions are firmware coded inside intelligent meters itself. Here, we describe the indigenously built project of a cryogenic control system built for linear accelerator at Inter University Accelerator Centre, known as “CADS,” which stands for “Complete Automation of Distribution System.” CADS deals with complete hardware, firmware, and software implementation of the automated linac cryogenic distribution system using many Ethernet based embedded cryogenic instruments developed in-house. Each instrument works as an intelligent meter called device-server which has the control functions and control loops built inside the firmware itself. Dedicated meters with built-in servers were designed out of ARM (Acorn RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) Machine) and ATMEL processors and COTS (Commercially Off-the-Shelf) SMD (Surface Mount Devices) components, with analog sensor front-end and a digital back-end web server implementing remote procedure call over HTTP for digital control and readout functions. At present, 24 instruments which run 58 embedded servers inside, each specific to a particular type of sensor-actuator combination for closed loop operations, are now deployed and distributed across control LAN (Local Area Network). A group of six categories of such instruments have been identified for all cryogenic applications required for linac operation which were designed to build this medium-scale cryogenic automation setup. These devices have special features like remote rebooters, daughter boards for PIDs (Proportional Integral Derivative), etc., to operate them remotely in radiation areas and also have emergency switches by which each device can be taken to emergency mode temporarily. Finally, all the data are monitored, logged, controlled, and analyzed online at a central control room which has a user-friendly control interface developed using LabVIEW{sup ®}. This paper discusses the overall hardware, firmware, software design, and implementation for the cryogenics setup.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Strategic Value of Human Factors Engineering in Control Room Modernization

Control room modernization is one of the most challenging and complex upgrade projects that a nuclear power plant can undertake. It can have almost as big an impact on operations as, for example, turbine replacement. The challenges of migrating an analog control system to a distributed control system are already well known and a number of nuclear utilities have embarked upon various levels of effort to upgrade some of the systems in the control room. When planning for control room upgrades, plants have to deal with a multitude of engineering, operational, and regulatory impacts. This will inevitably include several human factors considerations, such as workstation ergonomics, viewing angles, lighting, seating, new interaction modalities, new communication requirements, and new concepts of operation. In helping nuclear power utilities to deal with these challenges, the United States Department of Energy researchers located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed research-based human factors design and evaluation methods to be used in the development of end-state concepts for modernized control rooms and to manage the various phases of the upgrade life cycle. The methodology includes interactive sessions with operators in INL’s Human System Simulation Laboratory, three-dimensional modeling to visualize control board changes and operator-system interaction, and development of human-system prototypes to evaluate various aspects of proposed modifications. This methodology has been applied at a number of U.S. nuclear power plants where modernization projects are underway, including Exelon’s Braidwood and Byron plants, and Arizona Public Service's Palo Verde plant. It was demonstrated that including this methodology in the plant’s engineering process helps to ensure an integrated and cohesive outcome that is consistent with human factors engineering principles and provide substantial improvement in operator performance.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Human Factors Considerations for Automating Microreactors

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has interacted with vendors pursuing the commercialization of microreactors ( <10 MW th ). It is envisioned that microreactors could be assembled and fueled in a factory and shipped to a site. Many of the sites are expected to be remote locations requiring off-grid power or in some cases military bases. However, before this new class of nuclear reactor can be fully developed and implemented by designers, an effort must be made to explore the technical issues and provide reasonable assurance to the public regarding health and safety impacts centered on various technical issues. Prior works have examined many of these issues. One issue not yet fully explored is the possible change in role of the operations and support personnel. Due to the passive safety features of microreactors and their low level of nuclear material, the microreactor facilities may automate more functions and rely on inherent safety features more than its predecessor nuclear power plants. In some instances, human operators may not be located onsite and may instead be operating or monitoring the facility from a remote location. Some designs also call for operators to supervise and control multiple microreactors from the control room. This report explores the issues around reduced staffing of microreactors, highlights the historical safety functions associated with human operators, assesses current licensing requirements for appropriateness to varying levels of personnel support, and describes a recommended regulatory approach for reviewing the impact of reduced staff to the operation of microreactors. The report evaluates these issues through an extensive literature survey and Subject Matter Expert interviews. The literature covers research topics related to Human Factors Engineering as well as regulatory guidance given by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Fully Robotic Hot Cell Crane for Target Hall Operations at Isotope Research Facility - 18329

There are many types of equipment used in high radiation environments, but the super-sized and high precision lifting requirements for an isotope research facility in the USA called for one of the largest fully robotic cranes in the US. The 20 Ton Remote Handling Bridge Crane provided by PaR Systems met many challenging requirements for accuracy, repeatability and unique lifting motions in the radiation-shielded target hall of this facility. This robotic system was designed to address four main issues. The first is that the crane needed to be operated remotely due to high radioactivity during the time when it is needed most. Second is that high precision is needed due to the complex fit of multiple heavy shielding blocks. Third problem is that automated routines and exclusion areas were needed due to the remote operation of the system around high capital cost equipment. Lastly is the survivability of the equipment due to the high radiation environment. The facility robotic crane is an overhead top running multiple girder hot cell bridge crane (hereafter referred to as the system). The system is intended to be used in either manually operated or automated operation under computer control. Under automated control, the system provides highly accurate motion control in three linear axes as well as hook rotation. Using motion control programming, this highly accurate system ensures safe, remote movement of in-cell components. The system was designed to be remotely operated by a technician from the remote handling control room in the facility. This is facilitated by computer control using the System Graphical User Interface with feedback from a facility supplied video system. It can also be operated using a wireless hand held controller. The system will be used to place sensitive components with high precision in locations that will be difficult to observe directly. In order to accomplish this, it is critical that the system be capable of moving its payload with minimal swing, and with high accuracy, repeatability and reliability. The system will be operating in an environment where it will be exposed to both high energy neutrons and gamma radiation. Under beam-off conditions, the target hall will be hands-on accessible to accommodate crane maintenance. The system was installed and tested in early 2017 in advance of the live operations of the facility. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2012

BEYOND INTEGRATED SYSTEM VALIDATION: USE OF A CONTROL ROOM TRAINING SIMULATOR FOR PROOF-OF-CONCEPT INTERFACE DEVELOPMENT

This paper provides background on a reconfigurable control room simulator for nuclear power plants. The main control rooms in current nuclear power plants feature analog technology that is growing obsolete. The need to upgrade control rooms serves the practical need of maintainability as well as the opportunity to implement newer digital technologies with added functionality. There currently exists no dedicated research simulator for use in human factors design and evaluation activities for nuclear power plants in the US. The new research simulator discussed in this paper provides a test bed in which operator performance on new control room concepts can be benchmarked against existing control rooms and in which new technologies can be validated for safety and usability prior to deployment.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Dual-Zone Solar Control Indoor Shade: Demonstration at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 1301 Clay Street, Oakland, California and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Advanced Windows Testbed, Berkeley, California

Standard window shades are used to control sunlight, glare, window heat gains, and daylight. The challenge with conventional shades is that once the shades are lowered to reduce discomfort, daylight is reduced, which, in turn, increases the need for electric lighting. View is also obstructed, reducing the occupants’ connection to the outdoors. The strategy of subdividing the window wall and admitting daylight from above and controlling sunlight and view through the lower aperture can yield significant energy and peak demand savings over conventional shading systems, and improve the daylight quality of the indoor environment. This study evaluated a dual zone solar control (DZSC) shade with an upper, automated, horizontal, venetian blind with concave-up, matte white slats and a lower, manually operated, roller shade made of a transparent, reflective film. The automatic controls were designed to adjust the upper slat angle to maximize daylight to the room interior. The lower shade, when lowered, provided an unobstructed view to the outdoors. For the qualitative analysis, the DZSC shades were installed on windows in the southeast half of one floor in the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse or hereafter referred to as the Oakland Federal Building (OFB) in Oakland, California. The position of the DZSC shades were observed and recorded periodically. Surveys were issued to occupants in the private offices and open plan workstations affected by the shades. For the quantitative analysis, the DZSC shades were installed in the south-facing windows of thermally isolated, fully instrumented, test chambers in the Advanced Windows Testbed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, California. Measurements of window heat loads, daylight illuminance and environmental conditions related to visual and thermal comfort were collected over a six-month, solstice-to-solstice period. The performance of the DZSC shade was compared to fabric roller shades and venetian blinds since these are the two most common types of shades used in both commercial and Federal buildings. Several DZSC design permutations were evaluated: 1) manual or automated control of the upper louver system (“man” or “auto”) and 2) tinted or silvered reflective film for the lower shade (“Gray-Gray (GG)” or “Gray-Silver (GS)”1). The automated, reflective shade (auto-GS) reduced dimmable fluorescent lighting energy use by 51% and window cooling load by 13-15% compared to a conventional fabric roller shade with dual-pane, spectrally selective, low-e windows during the summer period (winter period was not measured). Qualitative analysis revealed that the auto-GS shade was preferred by 80% of the survey respondents compared to the existing vertical fabric blinds with single-pane, tinted windows in the occupied building. Survey results indicated that visual discomfort was reduced and thermal discomfort was also reduced during warm or hot weather. Occupants expressed greater satisfaction with the unobstructed view. Installation and commissioning of the DZSC shades was fairly straightforward with some minor problems due to inadequate installation instructions and improper wiring. A few occupants expressed dissatisfaction with the automatic controls for the upper louvers due to visual discomfort, erroneous control, and motor noise.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2012

OVERVIEW OF A RECONFIGURABLE SIMULATOR FOR MAIN CONTROL ROOM UPGRADES IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

This paper provides background on a reconfigurable control room simulator for nuclear power plants. The main control rooms in current nuclear power plants feature analog technology that is growing obsolete. The need to upgrade control rooms serves the practical need of maintainability as well as the opportunity to implement newer digital technologies with added functionality. There currently exists no dedicated research simulator for use in human factors design and evaluation activities for nuclear power plant modernization in the U.S. The new research simulator discussed in this paper provides a test bed in which operator performance on new control room concepts can be benchmarked against existing control rooms and in which new technologies can be validated for safety and usability prior to deployment.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗