Ergonomic evaluations using virtual reality
Palavras-chave:
Virtual simulation, Control room, Nuclear power plant, Ergonomics evaluation, Postulated accidents, LicensingResumo
This research deals with the virtual modeling and ergonomic evaluation of a PWR NPP control room,
aiming specially with the assessing of the elapsed times spent by operators to control such safe-critical
system. Secure Nuclear power plant (NPP) operation involves using guidelines that specify procedures to
be followed by personnel. Control rooms’ environments, though, present complex features and a series of
mechanisms unpredicted by the guidelines, which must be faced accordingly. All these must be
considered in ergonomics evaluations of NPP control rooms. This work proposes the use of virtual
simulation through reusing a game engine platform, in which the real environment may be virtually
modeled and people are able to virtually navigate and interact among themselves, to support ergonomics
evaluation in adequating control rooms for licensing of NPPs. Virtual experiments results were very
similar to previous ones collected in the real control NPP room, indicating that the former may be
executed before the later as a means of prototyping design and evaluation, before executing any real
intervention.
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