Development of an Initial Model of Human-Automatio

Abstract

viii ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThe U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the commercial nuclear power industry are exploring alternatives to meet energy demands in the United States. As part of this mission, they are looking at small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced small modular reactors (aSMRs). The DOE, and in particular, the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) is sponsoring research and development (R&D) on small reactors, as evidenced by NE's 2010 Report to Congress, Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap. In short, DOE-NE's mission is to assist in revitalization of the U.S. nuclear industry, including development of advanced designs, through R&D. By doing so, NE can help accelerate deployment of new plants in the short term, support development of advanced concepts for the medium term, and promote design of revolutionary systems for the long term.All aSMR designs will employ advanced digital instrumentation, controls, and human-machine interfaces (ICHMI), technology that is significantly more advanced that existing analog systems in the light water reactor fleet. The U.S. DOE recognizes that ICHMI research, development, and demonstration is needed to address the specific technical challenges and technological gaps of ICHMI for aSMR designs. The new aSMRs will be designed to utilize new automation and instrumentation and control technologies, and there are a number of concerns about how those technologies will affect human performance and the overall safety of the plant. It is expected that aSMRs will rely on automation to a greater extent than the current nuclear power plant fleet. However, there are many issues and concerns that still need to be addressed related to how automation should be designed and implemented. For example, further researcher is needed to address how humans and automation will collaborate under various operational conditions.The Human-Automation Collaboration (HAC) research project is one of three research efforts related to investigating how the advanced technologies planned for aSMR designs will affect human factors and human performance. Given the increased use of automation in aSMR designs, the HAC research project is investigating the consequences of allocating functions between the operators and automated systems. The research effort addresses the questions of what the collaboration level should be and how it should be implemented to have the greatest positive impact on overall plant performance and safety. The research project is also developing a model of HAC, which will support aSMR designers when evaluating their proposed approach for conduct of operations in terms of how humans and automation collaborate. The research results will inform the integration and cooperation between plant staff and automation, with the purpose of maximizing productivity and safe operations of aSMRs. One key research goal is providing a technical basis to support the reduction in aSMR operations and maintenance costs through reduced staffing per unit, which is made possible by greater integration ...