A Simulator Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Group View Displays in Nuclear Control Rooms

Group View Displays (GVDs), have become prominent features in modern nuclear control room (NCR) designs. Despite their widespread implementation, an operating experience review by Myers Jamieson (2014) revealed that the efficacy of these GVDs has yet to be thoroughly evaluated. This thesis addresses this gap by presenting the analysis, design, and experimental results of a full-scale nuclear simulator study designed to evaluate the purported benefits of GVDs. The results of this study indicate that the current state of the art in NCRs can be improved upon. We found evidence suggesting that the dominant GVD solution in NCRs was outperformed in terms of communication by the experimental GVD alternative. Furthermore, we demonstrated marked situation awareness improvements fostered by the ecological display framework when compared against the advanced displays currently in use in NCRs. The implications, limitations, and recommendations for future work from this study are discussed.M.A.S