Addressing Human Factors Challenges for Control Room Operators in Small Modular Reactors

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Small modular reactors (SMRs) are an emerging technology in the nuclear industry that may help meet the world's future energy needs. Human Factors (HF) design issues will arise due to technological innovations and operations. Operators may experience increased cognitive demands while monitoring several reactor units simultaneously from a central main control room (MCR) or remotely monitoring units. Automated procedures may reduce human error, but they may also lower operator awareness in cases where operators need to establish a suitable mental model of plant conditions. The primary human factors issues and research concerns for multi-unit operation are the impacts of switching tasks between units and from passive monitoring to the active control of operators' performance; workload, and vigilance dichotomy of prolonged monitoring when operators are more prone to boredom and errors, to overload due to concurrent failures on numerous units; MCR operations, particularly decision-aiding technology, on operators' performance. In this context, the proposed project aims to provide an adaptive and assistive AR interface that will intervene in real-time when high levels of workload or low levels of situation awareness (SA) are recognized in nuclear power plant operators, thereby assisting operators in limiting potential operator errors in decision-making. The expected outcomes will provide cutting-edge expertise and scientific data to improve government regulatory supervision of SMRs.