THE PRACTICE OF MAIN CONTROL ROOM ERGONOMICS ASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION USING SIMULATION TOOLS

摘要

The paper is based on the experience accumulated by teams from Ergolab Research Laboratory and Synergy Consultants Ltd company while carrying out of ergonomics assessments in connection with the improvement of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) main control rooms (MCRs). The main standards which specify ergonomics requirements to control rooms are briefly reviewed. The paper also includes an illustrated survey of typical design errors revealed during the ergonomics assessment of MCRs. The most typical errors, which are relevant to conventional MCR panels and desks, are irregular layout, incorrect mutual placement of instruments, and inconsistency. It is demonstrated that a most effective way to examine ergonomics characteristics and quality of MCR is by means of full-scale experiments. The paper describes two such case studies. The first study was carried out at a test facility designed for full-scope emulation of the MCR where proposals for improvement of the existing MCR have been experimentally tested. The second study demonstrates the possibility to use a full-scope training simulator (FSS) for the assessment of new emergency procedures. This experiment aimed at making a comparison between performance of different MCR teams when they respond to the complicated emergency situations following either the old or new, revised procedures.