SAVANNAH RIVER SITE DEFENSE WASTE PROCESSING FACILITY HUMAN FACTORS EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

摘要

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), located at the Savannah River Site, is a complex chemical process consisting of batch, semi-batch, and continuous process operations. The facility converts high level radioactive liquid waste into glass that is poured into canisters and readied for permanent storage. The chemical processing and balance of plant operations of the DWPF are controlled by a Distributed Control System (DCS) which utilizes the latest Process Control concepts and applications. Approximately 7,500 input/output (I/O) points are processed by the DCS. The majority of canister operations are monitored and controlled by Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) that process approximately 4,000 additional I/O. Due to the number of points associated with the control systems, the Human Machine Interface is an integral part of the controls enterprise. During the Department of Energy Operational Readiness Review (DOE-ORR) prior to radioactive operations, an extensive Human Factors evaluation was performed on the facility. Evaluators used the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) document NUREG 0700, Revision 1, titled "Human-System Interface Design Review Guidelines" as a basis for their review. The DWPF Process Controls group (DPC) is responsible for the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of the DWPF Control and Manufacturing computer systems along with all corresponding application software programs and interfaces. Using the NUREG 0700, Revision 1, the DPC group has developed a process for using the accompanying Design Review Guidelines (DRG) software as a design input tool to develop and evaluate new Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) within the DWPF. These interfaces include graphics, trending functions, alarm handling and displays, error messages, control functions, animation, color schemes and any other general operations and functionality of the interface. Additionally, control room configuration and Human Engineering Deficiencies (HEDs) are identified, corrected, and re-evaluated as necessary using the guidelines for development and improvement. This methodology ensures compliance with the criteria by which we are evaluated, and greatly reduces the risk of operator error that would result from a poorly designed interface. Likewise, custom software applications developed for the facility are evaluated using the same methodology to ensure that consistency is maintained across various platforms.