An expert display system and nuclear power plant control rooms

General topics for consideration when designing expert display systems and nuclear power plant control room displays are summarized. A system is proposed in which the display of segments (a combined series of graphic primitives or a reusable collection of graphic primitives and primitives attributes stored in memory) controls a cathode-ray-tube´s screen to form an image of plant operations. The image consists of an icon of: (1) the process (heat engine cycle), (2) plant control systems, and (3) safety systems. A set of data-driven, forward-chaining computer-stored rules control the display segments. As plant operation changes, measured plant data are processed through the rules, and the results control the deletion and addition of segments to the display format. The icon contains information needed by control rooms operators to monitor plant operations. One example of an expert display is illustrated for the operator´s task of monitoring leakage from a safety valve in a steam line of a boiling water reactor (BWR). In another example, the use of an expert display to monitor plant operations during pre-trip, trip, and post-trip operations is discussed as a universal display