Virtual Plant Prediction for Nuclear Control Workload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional nuclear power plant central control devices lack integration of indicators, operation devices, and alarms, leading to increased operator workload and cognitive load, and struggle with accurate and rapid prediction of abnormal events, which can compromise safety and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A central control device with a monitoring operation device that displays information and operates the plant, and a control unit that selects and displays operation procedure documents, along with a virtual plant creation unit that predicts future states by accelerating the actual plant's operating state, allowing for improved operator guidance and rapid prediction of changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If operators manually interpret and combine information from indicators, operation devices, and alarms, then operational flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but operator workload and cognitive load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines indicators, operation devices, and alarms into an integrated display system where related information is automatically associated and presented together. The control unit integrates data from multiple sources and presents them in a unified manner, reducing the need for operators to manually correlate information while maintaining comprehensive situational awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically performs information integration and correlation without requiring operator intervention. The control unit autonomously processes data from sensors, indicators, and alarms, and generates integrated presentations that reduce cognitive load on operators while maintaining operational flexibility.
2Device complexity
If conventional central control devices display information independently without integration, then device simplicity is maintained, but operator cognitive load increases due to need for manual information synthesis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges previously independent information displays into an integrated system. The control unit associates related indicators, operation devices, and alarms together, presenting them in a coordinated manner that reduces cognitive load while maintaining appropriate levels of system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If prediction systems rely on past similar events, then system simplicity is maintained, but prediction accuracy deteriorates when actual events differ from historical patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the prediction system continuously monitors actual plant behavior and compares it with predicted outcomes. When deviations are detected, the system adjusts predictions in real-time, improving accuracy for unique or abnormal events while maintaining the ability to learn from historical patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The prediction system transitions from static historical analysis to dynamic real-time prediction. The system adapts its prediction models based on current plant conditions and actual event development, allowing it to accurately predict both routine events based on history and abnormal events based on real-time data.
4Loss of time
If rapid prediction is implemented for abnormal plant signs, then response time is reduced, but prediction accuracy may compromise when events differ from historical patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary predictions based on historical patterns to provide immediate initial assessments, then rapidly updates predictions as real-time data becomes available. This allows the system to provide timely initial predictions for rapid response while maintaining the ability to refine accuracy as more information is gathered.
Solution Approach 2:
The prediction system dynamically adjusts its approach based on event characteristics. For routine events, it relies on historical patterns for rapid accurate prediction. For abnormal events, it transitions to real-time adaptive prediction, balancing speed and accuracy according to the specific situation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A nuclear power plant operation support device, comprising: a virtual plant creation unit for acquiring operating state data on an actual plant, simulating the actual plant and creating a virtual plant; a reference data storage unit for storing in advance reference data for creating the virtual plant conforming to various operating states of the actual plant; an operating state monitoring unit for monitoring the operating state of the actual plant and sending the operating state data on the actual plant to the virtual plant creation unit, while acquiring from the reference data storage unit the reference data corresponding to the operating state, if occurs, in the operating state of the actual plant and sending the reference data to the virtual plant creation unit; an operating state prediction unit for creating a predicted virtual plant in which an operating state after a lapse of arbitrary time is predicted by accelerating the operating state of the virtual plant created by the virtual plant creation unit at an arbitrary speed, the operating state after the lapse of arbitrary time being predicted by the operating state prediction unit; and an operating state displaying unit for displaying the operating state of the actual plant and the operating state of the predicted virtual plant on an operating state displaying unit.