Emerson Exchange 365

Since they were first introduced, graphical user interfaces have come a long way in making industrial control systems easier for operators to use and understand.  But as process automation technologies have become increasingly complex, so have user interfaces.  As a result, operators often find themselves struggling with information overload.  This has led many plants to seek out more human-friendly ways to monitor and control their processes.

At the 2014 Emerson Global Users Exchange Americas, Richard Baker of Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC, will discuss his team’s search for such a solution.

The Savannah River Site’s Tritium Facilities, which date back to the 1960s, support the gas processing needs of the United States’ nuclear stockpile.  Years of piecemeal control system upgrades at the site had created a patchwork of graphical user interfaces with inconsistent design features.  The colors red and yellow, normally reserved for alarms, were used to depict pumps and piping onscreen.  Some of the interface graphics were too “busy” to understand easily, and they didn’t provide enough situational awareness for operators to respond quickly to urgent process events.

Studies on human centered design have shown that replacing schematic-based system overview graphics with simpler displays helps improve user reaction times by up to 41 percent.  Baker’s team created simpler displays—system overview dashboards—which have the look and feel of automobile instrument clusters, and are designed to focus operators’ attention on key process parameters, allowing them to identify critical trends and act accordingly. 

Baker’s team realized this was the answer to their interface problem.

“Working with Emerson Process Management control system specialists, we are in the process of replacing the old user interfaces with DeltaV^TM distributed control system dashboard displays throughout the tritium production area,” Baker says.  “Our goal is to improve operational efficiency by implementing a consistent, user-friendly interface design scheme across all process areas.”

During the initial phase of the project, Baker acted as a liaison between the production operators, system engineers and programmers who offered their input about which process parameters to include and how to make them easy to understand in the dashboards.

Clearing away the visual clutter of the old system, the new interfaces show only the most pertinent process variables and trends, and incorporate custom bar graphs configured specifically for each device or process element.  All displays system-wide use a standardized color palette with common alarm indicators.

“With the dashboard interfaces, facility management can determine the status of the support systems in the tritium area at a single glance,” Baker says.   “Alarm recognition and response times are anticipated to improve, and now, with a consistent interface design, we no longer need to train operators on multiple platforms and views.  This will help us deal with personnel attrition and help cut cost even more.  By the time the upgrade is complete, we expect that the facility will be running safely and more efficiently than ever.”