Human centered design for nuclear power plant control room modernization

The use of nuclear power plants to produce electric energy is a safety-critical process where ultimate operational decisions still relies with the control room operators. Thus it is important to provide the best possible decision support through effective supervisory control interfaces. A human centered design approach, based on cognitive task analysis methods, was used to observe the operators training on the nuclear power plant simulator of the Human System Interface Laboratory (LABIHS). We noted deficiencies in graphic interface design, alarm system and in the integration between the computerized interfaces and the hardcopy (paper) procedures. A new prototype of the interface including graphics, alarms and digital procedures was designed as an alternative to the current hardcopy procedure manuals. The design improves upon the graphical layout of system information and provides better integration of procedures, automation, and alarm systems. The new design was validated by expert opinion and a performance comparison with the existing design.