An Information Offering System for Operation Support Based on Plant Functional Structure

• Published in: Journal of nuclear science and technology Vol. 32; no. 8; pp. 727 - 739
• Main Authors: OHGA, Yukiharu, SEKI, Hiroshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Taylor & Francis Group 01.08.1995; Atomic Energy Society of Japan; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Applied sciences; BWR type reactors; CRT touch input; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fission nuclear power plants; information selection; information systems; input analysis; Installations for energy generation and conversion: thermal and electrical energy; means-ends abstraction hierarchy; nuclear power plants; operation support; plant information offering system; reactor operation; reactor operators; speech input; Safeguard; Boiling water reactor; Information system; Nuclear power plant; Control system; Man machine dialogue; Hierarchical system; Reactor core; Information interpretation
• ISSN: 0022-3131; 1881-1248
• DOI: 10.1080/18811248.1995.9731768

A plant information offering system was proposed to support operators in their selection and confirmation of the required information for plant operation under transient conditions in nuclear power plants. The system features include an automatic selection method for information and a dialog input method. The former selects plant information in response to plant status changes and operators' demands. The selection is performed based on the knowledge and data as structured by the plant functional structure; i.e, a means-ends abstraction hierarchy model. In the latter, both speech and CRT touch inputs are transformed into words in Japanese to realize an arbitrary input mode combination. The words are analyzed as a sentence before transforming them into a demand for related programs. A prototype system was evaluated using a BWR simulator, assuming abnormal transients such as loss of feedwater. The contents of the offered information were checked based on emergency operation guidelines. It was confirmed that appropriate information items are automatically selected in real time. Answers are generated in reply to the operators' demands. 'They include information added to reflect the plant conditions. As for dialog, simple and quick input is realized by combining speech and CRT touch according to the operating situation.'