Condition monitoring and diagnostic systems integration - guiding principles and practical examples

Recent years have seen a steady stream of new condition monitoring and diagnostic (CMD) systems and techniques being designed for applications in the nuclear industry. The HRP has been particularly active in this respect with the development of systems such as PEANO for on-line sensor calibration monitoring and aladdin for early fault detection and diagnosis. The availability at the HRP of a wide range of other Computerized Operations Support Systems as well as the availability of the HAMMLAB experimental control room has also allowed for the investigation of the range of issues related to the integration of such systems into control room settings. After a brief description of the development and application of these CMD systems, the report identifies three different levels of integration that should be taken into consideration. These are the data level, the operational level, and the functional level. The data level includes all aspects of data communication between the CMD system, the plant instrumentation, and the other computerized support systems present at the plant. The operational level includes all those aspects of integration that influence the way in which the operator interacts with the CMD system, with a clear emphasis on Human System Interface (HSI) integration. The functional level includes those aspects of integration that deal with the functionality of the CMD system and how this can support or be combined with the functionality offered by other support systems with the aim of exploiting synergistic effects and achieving new functions. Additionally, the report identifies a set of guiding principles of integration that can be applied at all three levels of integration. Case studies taken from experiences gathered at the HRP are used throughout the report to exemplify the identified integration principles. (Author)