HUMAN-MACHINE INTERACTION IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

• Published in: Nuclear engineering and technology Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 151 - 158
• Main Author: YOSHIKAWA HIDEKAZU
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 한국원자력학회 01.04.2005
• Subjects: 원자력공학; emergency operation; operator support; situation recognition; human factors; automated system; human-machine interface; joint human-machine system
• ISSN: 1738-5733; 2234-358X

Advanced nuclear power plants are generally large complex systems automated by computers. Whenever a rare plant emergency occurs the plant operators must cope with the emergency under severe mental stress without committing any fatal errors. Furthermore, The operators must train to improve and maintain their ability to cope with every conceivable situation, though it is almost impossible to be fully prepared for an infinite variety of situations. In view of the limited capability of operators in emergency situations, there has been a new approach to preventing the human error caused by improper human-machine interaction. The new approach has been triggered by the introduction of advanced information systems that help operators recognize and counteract plant emergencies. In this paper, the adverse effect of automation in human-machine systems is explained. The discussion then focuses on how to configure a joint human-machine system for ideal human-machine interaction. Finally, there is a new proposal on how to organize technologies that recognize the different states of such a joint human-machine system.