Simulator evaluation of the Boiling Water Reactor Owners' Group (BWROG) graphics display system (GDS)

This report describes the evaluation of a Graphic Display System (GDS). The GDS was developed by the Boiling Water Reactor Owners' Group (BWROG) to aid control room operators in detecting abnormal operating conditions, assessing the safety status of the plant, executing corrective action and monitoring plant response. The objective of the evaluation was to obtain recommendations for improving the usefulness of the GDS and to assess its usefulness under simulated accident operating conditions. The GDS presented 19 operator selectable displays on a high resolution color CRT monitor. The displays included safety function status, key parameters in bar and trend formats, and two-dimensional limits plots associated with the execution of symptom-based emergency procedures. Almost all of the operators, 94%, considered the GDS to be a useful device. The GDS was considered to be more useful for complex transients than for more straightforward events or routine operation