Critical function and success path summary display
First Claim
Patent Images
1. In a nuclear power plant having a nuclear steam supply system including a multiplicity of components which operate together to perform plant functions including critical safety functions, which must be accomplished to keep the plant in a safe, stable condition whereby the health and safety of the public is preserved;
- means for measuring plant operating variables and for generating operating parameter signals from said measured variables;
a control room including data processing means responsive to the operating parameter signals for displaying monitoring information including parameter values and parameter alarms to the operator;
the improvement in the means for displaying monitoring information about the critical safety functions comprising;
means for displaying on a large screen situated for visibility throughout the control room,a descriptor for each critical safety function,a critical function success path descriptor associated with each critical function, wherein each success path descriptor represents at least the preferred configuration of plant components that is capable of performing the associated critical function,a key parameter value representing each critical function,a status indicator of the preferred success path for each critical function, including the operating state of the preferred success path configuration (on/off or active/inactive) and the controllability (whereby the state can be changed),a parameter alarm at the key parameter value when an alarm signal associated with the key parameter is generated; and
a success path unavailability alarm when a success path cannot be actuated to achieve minimum acceptable performance.
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Abstract
The content of and hierarchical access to three levels of display pages containing information on critical function monitoring and success path monitoring.
20 Citations
16 Claims
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1. In a nuclear power plant having a nuclear steam supply system including a multiplicity of components which operate together to perform plant functions including critical safety functions, which must be accomplished to keep the plant in a safe, stable condition whereby the health and safety of the public is preserved;
- means for measuring plant operating variables and for generating operating parameter signals from said measured variables;
a control room including data processing means responsive to the operating parameter signals for displaying monitoring information including parameter values and parameter alarms to the operator;
the improvement in the means for displaying monitoring information about the critical safety functions comprising;means for displaying on a large screen situated for visibility throughout the control room, a descriptor for each critical safety function, a critical function success path descriptor associated with each critical function, wherein each success path descriptor represents at least the preferred configuration of plant components that is capable of performing the associated critical function, a key parameter value representing each critical function, a status indicator of the preferred success path for each critical function, including the operating state of the preferred success path configuration (on/off or active/inactive) and the controllability (whereby the state can be changed), a parameter alarm at the key parameter value when an alarm signal associated with the key parameter is generated; and a success path unavailability alarm when a success path cannot be actuated to achieve minimum acceptable performance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
- means for measuring plant operating variables and for generating operating parameter signals from said measured variables;
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6. In a nuclear power plant having a nuclear steam supply system including a multiplicity of components which operate together to perform critical plant functions;
- means for measuring plant operating variables and for generating operating parameter signals from said measured variables;
a control room including data processing means responsive to the operating parameter signals for displaying monitoring information including parameter values and parameter alarms to the operator;
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;
the improved method of data processing to display monitoring information about the critical plant functions, comprising;storing a hierarchy of display pages including 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 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 configuration of plant components that can perform the associated critical function, a plurality of second level display pages, corresponding respectively to each critical function and containing information on the current operating state, availability, and current performance of the component configurations for each success path, and a plurality of third level display pages containing detailed diagnostic information for the success path components; continuously determining the status of the critical functions by comparing parameter signals against plant critical function acceptance criteria; highlighting a particular critical function descriptor on the apex page when the acceptance criteria for the particular critical function is not satisfied; and presenting to the operator means for accessing the first, second, and third level display pages whereby the operator can diagnose the success paths relating to the highlighted critical function descriptor. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
- means for measuring plant operating variables and for generating operating parameter signals from said measured variables;
Specification