FROM ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL IN TRAINING SIMULATOR: THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW INTERACTIVE PANEL SYSTEM

摘要

The paper presents the design of a new interactive operating panel system, "Virtual panels," for a training simulator of a Finnish nuclear power plant. The Virtual panel concept is realized as a part of the training simulator's human system interface (HSI) by introducing a set of touch sensitive wall mounted displays for the control room (CR) of the training simulator. The implementation of the touch based technology originates from the on-going automation modernization in which the control room HSIs are also renewed. In the training simulator the Virtual panels are used for simulating the conventional operating panels used in the main Control Room for the process control. The modernization of I&C systems is executed gradually in several migration steps accompanied with changes in the HSI. The training simulator needs to follow these developments in order to provide adequate training facilities for the operators. In the present study, the aim has been to document the design rationale "i.e. the underlying reasons behind the design" and follow the development and implementation process of the Virtual panel system. Based on an interview with the designers and an interface walkthrough, we address what kind of challenges and compromises the designers needed to account for in the transition from the analog to the digital interface medium, and how they envision the interactive surface technologies could be used in the future control room environments and the operation (e.g. field operation) of the power plants.