Encoding a Model-Based Display with Dynamic Data

Abstract

A model-based display of the heat engine cycle for a nuclear power plant is defined and illustrated in terms of the thermodynamic first principles used to design the plant. The model-based display is a modified Rankine Cycle, the basic heat engine cycle for power plants. The display is made from measured process variables and the properties of water and presented on a CRT in iconic form, thereby providing a direct perception of the process. This structure of display design is an example of Rasmussen's means-ends hierarchy; starting with the abstract and ending with the specific display. Encoding the display with dynamic data aids operators in monitoring and interpreting the plant during transients and disturbances. Analytical data on the TMI-2 accident is used to illustrate the dynamic coding of the model-based display. The concepts discussed and illustrated are applicable to fossil and nuclear power plants and to other process industries.