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The Role of Function Analysis in Control Centre Design.
Abstract:
An essential aspect of control centre design is the need to characterize:
• plant functions and their inter-relationships to support the achievement of operational goals, and
• roles for humans and automation in sharing and exchanging the execution of functions across all operational phases.
Function analysis is a design activity that has been internationally accepted as an approach to satisfy this need. It is recognized as a fundamental and necessary component in the systematic approach to control centre design and is carried out early in the design process.
A function analysis can provide a clear basis for:
• the control centre design for the purposes of design team communication, and customer or regulatory review,
• the control centre display and control systems,
• the staffing and layout requirements of the control centre,
• assessing the completeness of control centre displays and controls prior and supplementary to mock-up walkthroughs or simulator evaluations, and
• the design of operating procedures and training programs.
This paper will explore the role for and cost-effectiveness of function analysis in supporting each stage of control centre design. The development of improvements to next-generation CANDU control rooms will be used as an illustrative context for the discussion. The paper will also discuss the merits of using function analysis in a goal- or function-based approach resulting in a more robust, operationally compatible, and cost-effective design over the life of the plant than with past practices.
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