A design of human–machine interface for the two-modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant

• A design of human–machine interface (HMI) has been developed.
• Three control positions are set for the two modules and the turbine.
• Control of equipment via VDUs needs authorities corresponding to control positions.
• Control strategies for the systems shared between modules are considered.
• A verification and validation platform for HMI design is developed.

A design of human–machine interface (HMI) has been developed to ensure the safety and availability of the two-modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant in China. As the first design for the plant with two modules coupled to one steam turbine, the staffing arrangement and HMIs are different from current nuclear power plants (NPPs). One control room is used to monitor and control the two reactor modules, the turbine generator, and the balance-of-plant (BOP). Considering the digital control room style, the elements of the HMIs in the control room are the large display panels and control consoles. According to the function analysis, the HMIs can be divided into three continuous parts: HMIs of reactor #1, conventional island, and reactor #2, from left to right for three operators respectively, and HMIs for the two reactor modules are basically the same. A Distributed control system (DCS) is employed for the non-safety controls, and computerized HMIs on the consoles are the interfaces for frequent use. The necessary safety operations and displays are set on the safety console of each reactor, independently. The large display panels are designed as an overview of the whole plant, which consist of large screen displays, mimic displays and alarm tiles. The failure modes and the diversities of HMIs are analyzed. Some special human factor engineering (HFE) strategies are considered for the control authorities of the two modules, the control of the systems shared between the two modules, etc. Two different solutions for the arrangement of HMIs and staffing are discussed. For lack of operating experiences, a verification platform is built to make verification and validation (V&V) of the HMIs. After sufficient validation, the design will be realized in the demonstration construction of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor-pebble bed module (HTR-PM) in China.