Response tree evaluation: experimental assessment of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:5118176

Nelson, W R; Blackman, H S

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) sponsored a project performed by EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) to evaluate different display concepts for use in nuclear reactor control rooms. Included in this project was the evaluation of the response tree computer-based decision aid and its associated displays. The response tree evaluation task was deisgned to (1) assess the merit of the response tree decision aid and (2) develop a technical basis for recommendations, guidelines, and criteria for the design and evaluation of computerized decision aids for use in reactor control rooms. Two major experiments have been conducted to evaluate the response tree system. This report emphasizes the conduct and results of the second experiment. An enhanced version of the response tree system, known as the automated response tree system, was used in a controlled experiment using trained reactor operators as test subjects. This report discusses the automated response tree system, the design of the evaluation experiment, and the quantitative results of the experiment. The results of the experiment are compared to the results of the previous experiment to provide an integrated perspective of the response tree evaluation project. In addition, a subjective assessment of the results addresses the implications for the use of advanced, ''intelligent'' decision aids in the reactor control room.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 5118176
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-4272; EGG-2397; ON: TI86001565
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210400* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Otherwise Moderated or Unmoderated
CONTROL ROOMS
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DECISION MAKING
DISPLAY DEVICES
PERSONNEL
REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEMS
REACTOR OPERATORS