The research team (TBD) will be building on the results of a previous project “Cognitive Task Analysis for Advanced Process Control” to develop modifications to current best practices for APC Graphics and APC training in an effort to better support Console Operators understanding of APC functions.
APC systems are becoming more complex to improve process safety and lessen environmental impacts. The increased complexity of these systems is making it more challenging for operations to understand what is happening behind the scenes, to detect when they are malfunctioning and to troubleshoot the associated problems that may arise. This project will strive to improve both graphics and training best practices in order to better support console operator understanding of APC functions.
Graphics:
• How do we take the results of CTA as demonstrated in Phase I to make specific HMI upgrades?
o Content
o Organization
o Representation/Expression
o Principles will be applicable to either DCS or APC vendor graphics.
Training
• How do we take the results of the Phase 1 CTA to make improvements to operator training?
o How can we improve operator’s mental models of advanced control systems to allow for effective problem detection and troubleshooting
o What training is necessary for an operator to make key decisions while APC is in operation?
Advance process control is a program that continuously monitors key variables and adjusts numerous other variables to maximize plant or unit performance. Due to its complexity, APC often is considered a “black box” by many operators. Phase I “Cognitive Task Analysis for Advanced Process Control” studied a COP member site APC application. Operators, engineers, and supervisors were interviewed to develop an understanding of key decisions operators must make, and what makes these decisions difficult. An output of the Phase I project was a CTA guide for COP Members.
requested deliverables from RFP:
Procedure/guide for translating CTA study results into graphics design. This could be an add-on to the CTA guide developed for Phase 1. Develop a guide on the best approach to train operations on advanced control systems.