The ARC Orlando Forum hosted a great session on the Operator of the Future MCd by ARC Vice President Dick Hill. The first presenter was Mike Williams of Dow Chemical. Mike spoke about state based process control and how it drives operational excellence through improved operator response. Mike spoke of the "George Jetson" syndrome. When George interacts with his computer at work, the computer never hesitates to remind him that he as the operator is essentially irrelevant and redundant. If everything is automated, what is the real role of the operator? The operator is there to intervene should it be necessary. The operator monitors the holistic performance of the plant and ensures sustained operations against the specific design intent. The goal of the control system is to provide the operator with a vehicle for driving operational excellence. The goal of the operator interface is to act as a component of the control system to provide the operator with a quick, easy to use and effective decision support environment for the analysis and troubleshooting of both routine and upset conditions.

Operators experience a lot of mental stress. One person referred to the environment of the operator as "long periods of inactivity followed by short bursts of extreme terror". According to Mike, the ability of the operator to act changes rapidly under stressful situations. Under normal workload, the operator applies basic knowledge successfully. At the first sign of a fault condition, the operator acknowledges the event in a clearly defined manner. As the abnormal situation deteriorates, however, interdependent events propagate with the human responding based on experience and best judgment. As the event escalates, the ability of the human to successfully act rapidly deteriorates.

So how do we address this issue? We need a solution that incorporates automating procedures and the manufacturing operating disciplines they are associated with. The best operational knowledge needs to be institutionalized and needs to include the most appropriate response to abnormal events. This needs to be applied to all modes of operation from normal running to startup, shutdown, and transitions. Not just steady state conditions.

Stephen E Zitney from the US Department of Energy at its National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) spoke about advancements that his organization is making toward training the new power plant operators of the future through advanced simulation technology. According to Stephen, the next generation plants will be integrated gasification combined cycle plants (IGCC), which are better suited to carbon capture and storage (CCS). This next generation of plants are going to incorporate large, highly integrated, and multipurpose systems that need sophisticated levels of operator training. Stephen sees increased use of immersive 3-D simulation integrated with online training simulators (OTS). Merging of the control room and field operator roles is also on the horizon as plant personnel will use 3-D visors to perform tasks and respond to trends and alarms.

The NETL Dynamic Simulator Research and Training Center is already being formed, which will provide research, development, education and training for the design and operation and control of advanced energy solutions. The center will develop and deploy a portfolio of full scope real time dynamic simulators with Operator Training Simulation and Immersive training System capabilities. The IGCC Immersive Training System (ITS) will provide a real time, immersive, and interactive virtual environment for training plant engineers and outside field operators. This will provide a more realistic environment for trainees and the opportunity to practice in training sessions. The simulation will enforce quick and correct reactions in medium to high stress situations.

Laura Sheets and Lance Abbott from Savannah River Nuclear are involved in the pit disassembly and conversion project, which takes nuclear material used for weaponry and converts it to fuel rods for nuclear power generation. The control system and the operator interface are essential to Savannah River achieving their goals. Their concern is how to make the human more efficient. Operators today are used to using technology in their everyday lives and have personal computers at home. This was not the case even ten years ago.

The operator of the future is not George Jetson, with his feet up on his desk complaining about a three day work week. He must be engaged and alert and be able to make critical decisions. In Savannah River's terms, there are several key components of the operator interface. The first of these is the equipment definition, then graphics, alarming, and automation of procedures. The graphics of the future must be simple. Displays should be uncluttered and bright colors should only be used when you are trying to draw the operators' attention to something. Graphics that are light in color to reduce eye strain. The alarm summary screen should ideally be blank. The operator should not be distracted by irrelevant alarms. If an operator action is not required, it is not an alarm. Alarms must be distinct and timely. Alarm rationalization must be employed. Advanced techniques such as alarm suppression, state based alarming, and shelving should be employed. Automated procedures should be included and should be online and step by step. The operator executes each step, which keeps them engaged. There must be a predefined response if a specific condition cannot be met.