Abstract
Control rooms in nuclear power plants are complex, collaborative working environments rife with potential for human error. As control rooms evolve from analog to digital interfaces, crew communication strategies must change as well. With the increase in automation and the use of digital HMIs, operators no longer rely on large annunciator panels, but have instead moved to personal sitting workstations. The technology shift causes operators to focus only on their screens, reducing interaction between crewmembers. Therefore, the collaboration and coordination of task demands requires greater attention to communication, vigilance and mutual awareness, or collective knowledge of the situation. This paper will investigate, through literature review and expert interviews the impact of the technology shift and identify significant and critical improvements that can be implemented in the main control rooms to increase safety and reliability.
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This work of authorship was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Idaho National Laboratory is a multi-program laboratory operated by Battelle Energy Alliance LLC, for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DEAC07-05ID14517.
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Savchenko, K., Medema, H., Boring, R., Ulrich, T. (2018). Comparison of Mutual Awareness in Analog Vs. Digital Control Rooms. In: Boring, R. (eds) Advances in Human Error, Reliability, Resilience, and Performance. AHFE 2017. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 589. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60645-3_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60645-3_19
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