Alarm guided critical function and success path monitoring

• US 5,375,150 A
• Filed: 12/29/1993
• Issued: 12/20/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Company LLC (Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Combustion Engineering Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Jamison, David S., Harmon, Daryl L., Manazir, Richard M., Scarola, Kenneth, Rescorl, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wasil, Daniel D.
• Application Number:
  US08/175,308
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 376/216, 376/217, 376/248, 376/259, 364/146, 364/188, 364/431.01, 364/527, 364/551.01, 364/927.64, 340/506, 340/511, 340/517, 340/524, 340/525, 340/825.06, 345/1, 345/2, 345/3
• US Class Current: 376/216
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/027 Alarm generation, e.g. communication protocol; Forms of alarm
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/03 with multiple-channel loop, i.e. redundant control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/00 Control of nuclear power plant control of nuclear reaction in general G21C7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/008 Man-machine interface, e.g. control room layout
• CPC Class Codes: G21D 3/04 Safety arrangements emergency protection of reactor G21C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/00 Energy generation of nuclear origin
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location

Abstract

The use of alarm indication on the overview (IPSO) display to initiate diagnosis of challenges to critical functions or unavailability of success paths, and further alarm-based guidance toward ultimate diagnosis.

Claims

1. In a nuclear power plant having a nuclear steam supply system including a multiplicity of components which operate together to perform critical plant process functions in a plurality of plant operating modes;

means for measuring plant process and component operating variables and for generating parameter signals from said measured variables;

a control room including data processing means responsive to the parameter signals for displaying monitoring information including parameter values and parameter alarms in response to abnormal parameter signals, to the operator on at least one display screen, protection means responsive to the operating parameter signals for automatically initiating operation of safety related components upon the occurrence of certain abnormal events, means by which the operator can control safety related components, and means by which the operator can control components relating to power generation in the plant, a method for the operator to use the data processing means to diagnose plant disturbances that challenge the ability of the plant to perform the critical functions, comprising;

displaying on one of said screens, an apex page containing,

a matrix of a plurality of descriptors indicative of a respective plurality of plant critical functions including safety related critical functions which must be accomplished to keep the plant in a safe, stable condition whereby the health and safety of the public is preserved, and critical mission functions which must be accomplished in order to ensure uninterrupted power generation in the plant,

a plurality of descriptors indicative of a plurality of critical function success paths associated with each critical function, wherein each success path descriptor represents a configuration of plant components that can perform the associated critical function;

automatically monitoring the parameter signals for key parameters representative of each critical function process and continuously checking the monitored key parameters against mode and event dependant acceptance criteria;

if a particular critical function does not meet acceptance criteria because of an abnormal parameter signal associated with a component in a system that is expected to perform the critical function, generating a critical function alarm signal specific to said particular critical function and indicating an alarm condition in said first matrix at the descriptor for said particular critical function;

automatically monitoring the availability, operation state and performance of the critical function success paths against mode and event dependant acceptance criteria;

if a particular critical function success path does not satisfy the acceptance criteria because of an abnormal parameter signal for a particular component in the success path configuration, generating a success path alarm signal specific to said particular success path and indicating an alarm condition on the apex page at the descriptor for said particular success path;

storing for selection and display by the operator on another of said screens,

a first level display page containing a hierarchical directory of each critical function descriptor and a plurality of critical function success path descriptors associated with each critical function, wherein each success path descriptor represents a system configuration of plant components that is capable of performing the associated critical function,

a second level of display pages, corresponding respectively to each critical function and containing information on the current operating state, availability, and current performance of the system component configuration for each success path associated with the critical functions, and

a third level of detail page containing detailed diagnostic information for the components of the success path system associated with a second level display page;

in the event a critical function alarm or success path alarm is generated and indicated on said apex page, storing a correlated alarm indicator

at the critical function descriptor and success path descriptor of the first level display page,

at the success path system component configuration in the second level display page for the system in which the parameter signal causing the alarm originated,

on the third level display page containing information on the components from which said abnormal parameter signal originated as a result of the plant disturbance;

while viewing an alarmed descriptor on the apex display page, selecting the first level display page for display at said another one of said screens, whereby while viewing the first level display page, the operator can observe the hierarchical relation among the correlated alarm indicator, the critical function descriptors, and the success path descriptors;

while viewing the first level display page, selecting the second level display page containing the system in which the abnormal parameter alarm is present, for display at said one of said screens;

after the step of selecting the second level display passage, selecting a third level display page that contains the diagnostic information associated with the component from which the abnormal alarm parameter signal originated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the apex display page is on a large screen that is visible throughout the control room, and

said another screen is at an operator'"'"'s panel in the control room.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein,

the apex display page can be selectively displayed by the operator on said another screen, and

while viewing the apex display page on said another screen, the operator selects and displays the first level display page on said one screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of,

storing for selection and display by the operator on one of said screens,

an alternate first level display page for each major system (primary, secondary, power control, electrical, and auxiliary) containing a hierarchical directory of a descriptor for each major system and a plurality of subsystem descriptors for each system, wherein each subsystem descriptor represents a subsystem of plant components of said major system,

an alternate second level of display pages, corresponding respectively to each major system and containing information on the parameters associated with the major system, and

an alternate third level of display page containing detailed diagnostic information for the components of the system associated with a second level display page;

displaying on each alternate first, second, and third display pages, an alarm descriptor indicative of the origin of the alarmed parameter;

displaying on the apex display page, a menu containing touch responsive images for the operator to access and display on said other screen, any one of the first or alternate first display pages,

displaying on said accessed and displayed page, a touch sensitive image for the operator to access and display a second level or alternate second level display page.

5. The method of claim 1, including displaying on said apex display page, symbols indicative of the status of a preferred success path for each critical function.

6. The method of claim 5, including displaying the status of the success path with distinct symbols indicative of the operating state (on/off or active/inactive), and controllability (the ability of the operator or protection means to change the operating state).

7. The method of claim 6, including displaying the symbols with shape coding.