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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Experimental evaluation of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6230079
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) is supporting a program for the experimental evaluation of an expert system for nuclear reactor operators. A prototype expert system, called the Response Tree System, has been developed and implemented at INEL. The Response Tree System is designed to assess the status of a reactor system following an accident and recommend corrective actions to reactor operators. The system is implemented using color graphic displays and is driven by a computer simulation of the reactor system. Control of the system is accomplished using a transparent touch panel. Controlled experiments are being conducted to measure performance differences between operators using the Response Tree System and those not using it to respond to simulated accident situations. This paper summarizes the methodology and results of the evaluation of the Response Tree System, including the quantitative results obtained in the experiments thus far. Design features of the Response Tree System are discussed, and general conclusions regarding the applicability of expert systems in reactor control rooms are presented.
Research Organization:
EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC07-76ID01570
OSTI ID:
6230079
Report Number(s):
EGG-M-20084; CONF-8410161-2; ON: DE85003557
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English