Comparison between conventional and digital nuclear power plant main control rooms: A task complexity perspective, part I: Overall results and analysis

• A survey with 69 licensed NPP operators was done.
• Complexity in conventional and digital NPP MCRs was compared.
• Generally operators in digital MCRs perceived higher complexity.

Digitalization is a trend in safety-critical complex systems. It changes the way human interacts with systems. We have less empirical knowledge about its potential negative effects on human. In our study, we compared conventional and digital main control rooms (MCRs) in nuclear power plants (NPPs) from a task complexity perspective. Complexity factors in MCRs were quantified in terms of three aspects, frequency of occurrence, complexity induced by their being, and impact caused by them. A total of 69 licensed operators participated in the study. The study consists of two parts. In Part I, overall results and analysis were reported. Generally, operators in digital MCRs perceived higher frequency and higher impact of complexity factors than those in conventional MCRs, no matter in abnormal/emergency or normal situations. Operators in digital MCRs perceived higher complexity than those in conventional MCRs in abnormal/emergency situations. These findings suggest that operators in digital MCRs experience higher complexity and workload which may reduce their reliability. These findings imply that we should caution the side-effects of ubiquitous digitalization in complex industrial systems.Relevance to industryDigital technologies are widely deployed in the nuclear industry. They change the working environments in which operators interact with NPP systems. There is insufficient research on operator experience on the changes brought by technological developments in NPP control rooms. Our findings imply that we should take care of the potential negative effect of digitalization on operator working environments.