Peter Bullemer

The MPC elucidator: a case study in the design for human-automation interaction

In this paper, we describe the design of a decision support system for operators of model-based predictive controllers (MPC). MPC is a form of advanced automatic control that is increasingly common in process operations due to its ability to control and optimize large sections of a process. A cognitive task analysis revealed that current operating displays, which rely on displaying tables of numeric information across several display pages, do not effectively support human operator monitoring, diagnosis, and control of MPC. This case study shows how we applied representation aiding and workspace management design principles to better support the human-automation interaction requirements of monitoring, understanding, and adjusting these complex, semi-autonomous; process controllers. We show how effective user interface design can significantly reduce the complexity of operating with advanced automation, and can lead to improved understanding of how the automation works.

User-Initiated Notification: A Concept for Aiding the Monitoring Activities of Process Control Operators

Monitoring activities in a process control environment are quite unique depending on the current situation and the operators current understanding of that situation. Furthermore, the operator may be required to monitor multiple simultaneous events over potentially long periods of time. Currently, operators must periodically scan displays to gather such information, or manipulate the alarm or control system in ways not originally intended in order to gather that information as appropriate. Furthermore, if the monitoring activities span multiple operating shifts, then there is the potential for operators to forget to communicate these requirements at shift change. Despite the uniqueness of the situations that will require process events to be monitored, it is hypothesized that there is a limited set of conditions that can be pre-defined in a tool that will allow operators to set up their own monitoring “agents” according to their current diagnostic needs. Such a tool is predicted to decrease the working memory load of operators, and reduce the time it takes them to detect important process changes (or lack of them). Furthermore, it is proposed that this concept is extensible to other plant personnel and to other domains that have similar monitoring requirements. Although some potential pitfalls can be predicted with the introduction of this tool, the number of predicted benefits warrant the further exploration of this concept. This will be the next step in our design process.

Understanding and supporting abnormal situation management in industrial process control environments: a new approach to training

A persistent paradox in the domain of supervisory control is that as automation technology advances in complexity and sophistication, operations professionals are faced with increasingly complex decisions in managing abnormal situations. An abnormal situation management (ASM) solution concept team was established to identify current limitations facing industrial plant operations during abnormal conditions. We observed and interviewed a broad range of personnel at six plants in the US and Europe. Several critical areas were identified as important to the improvement of the operability and safety of operations under abnormal situations. In this paper, we focus on the specific area of training personnel to manage abnormal situations. We call for a paradigmatic shift in the approach to training through the design of the work environment as an enhanced learning environment.<<ETX>>

Impact of Functional and Schematic Overview Displays on Console Operators’ Situation Awareness

Console operators in process plants have to maintain a high level of situation awareness to operate the plant safely, effectively, and efficiently. An overview display is one of the primary displays in a control room that operators monitor to gain and maintain an understanding of the plant. In this study, the authors evaluated operator performance using two overview display formats. The first format, characterized as a functional design, included qualitative, graphical indicators for process parameters and organized the position of the indicators on the basis of functional relations of the process equipment. The second format, characterized as a traditional schematic display, showed connecting process lines between equipment and numerical fields to present process information. Both displays contained the same indicator values. Eighteen plant operators used both display formats to monitor a crude unit process for process parameters that deviated from normal values. We measured operators’ situation awareness using think-aloud protocols and situation awareness global assessment technique, subjective workload, and usability ratings. Results indicated that operators’ situation awareness was significantly higher when they monitored the process on a functional display compared with a schematic display. Their subjective workload and usability ratings also favored the functional overview display format. Implications of the findings for continuous process control and overview display design are discussed.

Abnormal Situation Management in petrochemical plants: can a Pilot's Associate crack crude?

Abnormal Situations comprise a range of process disruptions in which petrochemical plant personnel must intervene to correct problems with which the control systems can not cope. Preventable losses from abnormal situations cost the U.S. economy at least

A task-driven approach to knowledge acquisition, analysis and representation for intelligent training systems

20B annually. The Abnormal Situation Management (ASM) Joint Research and Development Consortium (Honeywell, the seven largest U.S. petrochemical companies, and two software companies) was formed to develop the technologies needed to allow plant personnel to control and prevent abnormal situations. The Consortium is working on a NIST-funded, 3.5-year,

Qualitative user aiding for alarm management (QUALM): an integrated demonstration of emerging technologies for aiding process control operators

16.6 million program to demonstrate the technical feasibility of a collaborative decision support system (called AEGIS) for helping operations personnel deal with abnormal situations. Many of the issues faced in the development of AEGIS have also been faced in the research and development of associate systems for military aviation domains, especially the U.S. Air Forces Pilots Associate (PA) and the U.S. Armys Rotorcraft Pilots Associate (RPA). Honeywell intends to apply associate technologies as vigorously as possible to the ASM problem. The two domains have a number of features in common, which we hope will permit significant technology transfer in both directions. This paper describes the similarities of and differences between the technical and organizational domains in which Abnormal Situation Management and the PA and RPA systems must operate, and assesses the issues thus raised. Finally, we describe our approach to resolving these issues and assuring successful demonstration of the feasibility of associate technology in this new domain.

A Direct Perception, Span-of-Control Overview Display to Support a Process Control Operator's Situation Awareness: A Practice-oriented Design Process

The authors present work in progress to develop a task driven approach to acquiring, analyzing and representing knowledge for an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) for training operators and maintainers of a process control system. The research premise is that using a task model approach provides direction and infrastructure for acquiring, analyzing, and representing domain-specific knowledge and makes possible the development of an ITS that teaches domain users to perform tasks in the right way at the right time. To demonstrate the efficacy of a task-based approach to knowledge analysis and representation, the authors contrast it with two alternative approaches: component-based and problem-based approaches to knowledge analysis and representation. The task-based approach described not only contains elements of both component- and problem-based approaches, but does so within the context of the specific job being performed, and the function of the person performing that job.<<ETX>>

Communication and Coordination Failures in the Process Industries

Managing abnormal situations in industrial processes has become increasingly challenging due to the increased sophistication of both the process as well as the automated control system. Operators can benefit significantly from tools that assist in abnormal situation management. Some critical technologies that can help operators include: user intent recognition, diagnosis and advanced graphical user interface. While each of these technologies independently have been proven to be valuable, enhanced benefits can be reaped by integrating all these into a single framework. In this work, we describe a framework for integrating these technologies to provide the operator with a single system. A real-time simulation of a unit in a chemical plant is used to test the value of the integrated framework. This effort has helped us identify functional requirements of the various modules and the mechanism in which they interact.<<ETX>>

A Study of Effective Procedural Practices in Refining and Chemical Operations

This paper presents a practice-oriented design work process for designing effective, direct perception span-of-control overview displays for process control operator positions. Several industry-based failure modes of overview displays are discussed in the context of Endsleys model of situation awareness and the practice-oriented process. The three high-level steps of the design work process are: identify critical process variables, identify the critical interaction requirements, and identify the appropriate visualization requirements. This practice-oriented process draws from cognitive engineering techniques, namely cognitive work analysis and scenario-based design. A conceptual overview display for an actual process plant console operator position is presented and illustrative visualization requirements are discussed.