O objetivo principal deste trabalho é apresentar um protocolo para avaliação de compatibilidade entre a gestão de procedimentos e a complexidade do sistema sócio-técnico em que esses são aplicados. Tal protocolo consiste das seguintes etapas: (a) delimitação do sistema sócio-técnico a ser estudado; (b) caracterização do sistema sócio-técnico; (c) caracterização da complexidade do sistema em estudo; (d) aplicação de dois tipos de questionários aos membros do sistema investigado; um deles destinado a avaliar a percepção em relação a um conjunto de princípios acerca de como os procedimentos deveriam ser gerenciados em um sistema complexo; outro destinado a avaliar a percepção acerca da extensão pela qual os princípios realmente são usados; (e) uma reunião de retorno dos resultados da avaliação aos membros do sistema sócio-técnico; (f) elaboração de recomendações para melhorar a gestão de procedimentos. A aplicação do protocolo é ilustrada por meio de um estudo de caso na sala de controle de uma refinaria de petróleo. / The main objective of this dissertation is to introduce a protocol for assessing the compatibility between the procedures management and the complexity of a socio-technical system in which these are applied to. This protocol consist of the following steps: (a) definition of the socio-technical system to be studied, (b) characterization of socio-technical system, (c) characterizing of the system under study complexity, (d) applying two questionnaires of different kinds to the members of the system investigated, one of them to assess the perceptions in relation to a set of principles about how the procedures should be managed in a complex system, and another designed to assess the perception of the extent to which the principles are actually used, (e) carrying out a return meeting of the assessment results to the members of socio-technical system, (f) developing of recommendations to improve management procedures. The application of the protocol is illustrated through a case study in an oil refinery control room.

Este trabalho aborda a avaliação da percepção do conforto térmico em uma sala de controle, tendo como objetivo identificar quais os fatores que influenciam na sensação térmica dos operadores e se esta sensação difere estatisticamente entre os quatro turnos de trabalho. Foram medidas as variáveis ambientais (temperatura do ar, temperatura média radiante, umidade do ar e velocidade do ar), levantadas as variáveis pessoais (vestimenta e taxa metabólica) e aplicados questionários para coletar as sensações térmicas dos operadores a cada 1 hora. A taxa metabólica foi estimada em função da atividade, conforme os valores tabelados pela ASHRAE (2001), mas tal estimação pode apresentar imprecisões devido às diferenças individuais e às condições fisiológicas do ser humano, que são influenciadas pelo ritmo circadiano. O isolamento térmico médio das vestimentas foi de 0,5 a 0,8clo, sendo que os valores mais elevados ocorreram no turno da madrugada. Devido ao controle ambiental térmico da sala, a temperatura média do ar ao longo do dia permaneceu dentro de limites muito próximos. A sensação térmica predominantemente relatada pelos operadores, foi neutra, isto é, nem frio nem calor. Apenas em alguns períodos, principalmente no turno da madrugada, foi relatado desconforto devido ao frio. Não houve diferença significativa entre os resultados de conforto para os diferentes turnos de trabalho, mas o assunto merece estudos mais aprofundados. Os valores de PMV apresentaram baixa correlação estatística com as sensações relatadas pelos operadores, provavelmente em função dos valores da taxa metabólica e do isolamento térmico das vestimentas serem tabelados e não se ajustarem ao ambiente de trabalho. Devido a esta baixa correlação, a Anova não paramétrica de Kruskal-Wallis foi utilizada permitindo identificar que a temperatura do ar, a temperatura média radiante, a umidade do ar e a vestimenta utilizada influenciaram a sensação térmica dos operadores. Tendo em vista que o PMV não predisse a sensação térmica dos usuários, conclui-se que ele não é um bom parâmetro para uso em projetos de ambiente construído. / This present work approachs the evaluation of thermal comfort perception inside a control room, having the specific goal to identify which factors are important to the worker’s thermal sensation and if this sensation differs statistically among the four shifts work. Each environmental parameter (air temperature, mean radiant temperature, relative humidity and air velocity) were measured. The personal variables (clothing insulation and metabolic rate) were evaluated and questionnaires were applied to collect worker’s thermal sensation each hour. The metabolic rate was estimated through the activity, according to the ASHRAE table (2001). This estimative might not be precise due to individual differences and to physiological conditions of the human being, which are influenced by the circadian rhythm. The clothing insulation was 0,5 to 0,8 clo, and the highest values occurred in the early hours of the morning. Owing to the environmental control of the room, the mean air temperature through the day did not have significant changes. The thermal sensation predominantly reported by the workers was neutral, that is, neither cold nor warm. Only in a few periods, especially in the early hours of the morning, was related discomfort because of the cold. There is not a significative difference among the comfort results for the different shifts work, but the topic deserves deeper studies. The PMV values no small statistic correlation with the sensations related by the workers, probably due to the values of the metabolic rate and to the clothing insulation be tabled and were not to adjustable to the work environment. As a result of this weak correlation, the Kruskal-Wallis non parametric Anova was used to identify that air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air relative humidity and clothing insulation influenced the worker’s thermal sensation. Considering that the PMV did not predict the worker’s thermal sensation, the data suggest that the PMV is not a good parameter to be used in projects of buildings.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é apresentar um protocolo para avaliação de compatibilidade entre a gestão de procedimentos e a complexidade do sistema sócio-técnico em que esses são aplicados. Tal protocolo consiste das seguintes etapas: (a) delimitação do sistema sócio-técnico a ser estudado; (b) caracterização do sistema sócio-técnico; (c) caracterização da complexidade do sistema em estudo; (d) aplicação de dois tipos de questionários aos membros do sistema investigado; um deles destinado a avaliar a percepção em relação a um conjunto de princípios acerca de como os procedimentos deveriam ser gerenciados em um sistema complexo; outro destinado a avaliar a percepção acerca da extensão pela qual os princípios realmente são usados; (e) uma reunião de retorno dos resultados da avaliação aos membros do sistema sócio-técnico; (f) elaboração de recomendações para melhorar a gestão de procedimentos. A aplicação do protocolo é ilustrada por meio de um estudo de caso na sala de controle de uma refinaria de petróleo. / The main objective of this dissertation is to introduce a protocol for assessing the compatibility between the procedures management and the complexity of a socio-technical system in which these are applied to. This protocol consist of the following steps: (a) definition of the socio-technical system to be studied, (b) characterization of socio-technical system, (c) characterizing of the system under study complexity, (d) applying two questionnaires of different kinds to the members of the system investigated, one of them to assess the perceptions in relation to a set of principles about how the procedures should be managed in a complex system, and another designed to assess the perception of the extent to which the principles are actually used, (e) carrying out a return meeting of the assessment results to the members of socio-technical system, (f) developing of recommendations to improve management procedures. The application of the protocol is illustrated through a case study in an oil refinery control room.

Low frequencies in small rooms are a problem that can affect the sound quality and therefore give an impaired listening experience if not treated. Even the slightest change of the subwoofer position can make a difference. Measurements have been made for two different subwoofer positions in a small control room, called the original and the alternative position. The original position represents the position that is normally used for the chosen control room. The alternative position was selected by measuring the position that had the flattest frequency response. The positions were tested with listening tests by 20 audio engineering students to see what differences existed between the two. The result shows that the original position was perceived to have more bass, which could be connected to the measurements. The subjects also showed that they could agree on the meaning of three of the given attributes used for the listening tests. If a flatter frequency response is wanted for the chosen control room, the alternative position is an option.

This work deals with acoustics of rooms for sound post-production activities and their simulations, in order to reduce the need for acoustic room treatment and specialized monitoring equipment to a hardware unit and headphones - specifcally by creating hardware product for auralization of rooms impulse resp

Cette thèse étudie l’activité d’opération en salle de contrôle, du point de vue de l’usage des technologies de présentation d’informations. L’évolution de ces technologies, principalement marquée par la réduction de la surface d’affichage d’informations opérationnelles à travers de la substitution des anciens tableaux synoptiques par les écrans d’ordinateur, a provoqué des transformations importantes dans l’activité des opérateurs tels que la perte de la vision globale et une croissante exigence de la mémoire à court terme. Toutefois, à l’heure actuelle, de nouvelles technologies – comme les videowalls, par exemple - permettent l’affichage de données opérationnelles en grandes surfaces, ouvrant la possibilité de surmonter les difficultés citées ci-dessus.L’objectif de ce travail est, d’une part, recenser dans quelles conditions de tels dispositifs de grand format peuvent représenter un appui opérationnel effectif, étant donné que dans la principale situation analysée le videowall n’était pas utilisé par les opérateurs et, d’autre part, explorer l’influence du process industriel dans l’utilisation de l’interface de contrôle de process. Ces questions sont abordées à la lumière de deux approches conceptuelles: celle de l’évolution des technologies de présentation d’information en salles de contrôle et celle de l’approche instrumentale. Les résultats auxquels nous sommes arrivés montrent que, pour être effectif, un videowall doit appuyer la construction de la vision globale du process, la mémoire à court terme et l’activité collective, aspects qui possèdent des configurations variables selon le process industriel contrôlé par les opérateurs. L’analyse des situations du point de vue de l’approche instrumentale permet de comprendre que l’effectivation de l’usage du videowall est également influencée par le processus de conception des écrans et que le contrôle du process industriel a lieu à travers de l’appropriation systémique des artefacts par les opérateurs, desquels le videowall doit faire partie. / This PhD dissertation studies the operational activity in control rooms, from the point of view of the use of the technologies of information presentation. The evolution of these technologies, mainly marked by the reduction of the display area of operational information through the substitution of the old synoptic panels by the computer monitors, caused important transformations in the operational activity such as the loss of the global vision and a rising exigence of the short-term memory. Meanwhile, nowadays new technologies – such as the videowalls – enable the exhibition of operational data in large surfaces, giving the opportunity of supporting the above mentionned aspects. The aim of this paper is, firstly, identify the conditions under which such large screens could represent an effective operacional help, since in the main analysed situation the videowall has no operational use, secondly, to explore the influence of the industrial process in the use of the interface. These questions are tackled by two conceptual approaches: the one of the evolution of the technologies of information presentation in control rooms and the one of the instrumental approach. The results to wich we came show that, in order to be effective, a videowall must support the construction of the global vision, the short-term memory and the collective activity, aspects that have different characteristics according to the industrial process controlled by the operators. The analysis of the work situations from the point of view of the instrumental approach allows understanding that the effectiveness of the use of the videowall is also influenced by the screen design process and that the control of the industrial process occurs through the systemic appropriation of the artefacts by the operators. / Esta tese estuda a atividade de operação em sala de controle, sob o ponto de vista do uso das tecnologias de apresentação de informações. A evolução destas tecnologias, principalmente marcada pela redução da área de exibição de informações operacionais através da substituição dos antigos painéis sinópticos pelos monitores de computador, provocou transformações importantes na atividade dos operadores tais como a perda da visão global e uma crescente exigência da memória de curto prazo. Entretanto, nos dias atuais, novas tecnologias – como os videowalls, por exemplo - permitem a exibição de dados operacionais em grandes superfícies, abrindo a possibilidade de suplantar as dificuldades mencionadas acima. O objetivo deste trabalho é, por um lado, recensear sob que condições tais dispositivos de grande formato podem representar um apoio operacional efetivo, já que na principal situação analisada o videowall não era utilizado pelos operadores e, por outro, explorar a influência do processo industrial na utilização da interface de controle de processo. Estas questões são abordadas à luz de duas abordagens conceituais: a da evolução das tecnologias de apresentação de informação em salas de controle e a da abordagem instrumental. Os resultados a que chegamos mostram que, para ser efetivo, um videowall precisa apoiar a construção da visão global do processo, a memória de curto prazo e a atividade coletiva, aspectos que possuem configurações variáveis segundo o processo industrial controlado pelos operadores. A análise das situações sob o ponto de vista da abordagem instrumental permite compreender que a efetivação do uso do videowall é também influenciada pelo processo de concepção das telas e que o controle do processo industrial ocorre através da apropriação sistêmica dos artefatos pelos operadores, dos quais deve fazer parte o videowall.

Current regulations specify the minimum number of operators required per nuclear power plant. However, these requirements are based on the operation of large nuclear power plants, which are not inherent safe and can result in a meltdown. For newly developed small nuclear reactors, the current number of operators seems to be excessive causing the technology to be less competitive. Before the number of required operators can be optimised, it should be demonstrated that human errors will not endanger or cause risk to the plant or public. For this study, a small pebble bed High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the Th-100, was evaluated. The inherent safety features of this type of nuclear reactor include independent barriers for fission product capture and passive heat dissipation during a loss of coolant. The control and instrumentation architecture include two independent protection systems. The Control and Limitation System is the first protection system to react if the reactor parameters exceed those of the normal operational safe zone. If the Control and Limitation System fail to maintain the reactor within the safe zone, the Reactor Protection System would at that time operate and force the reactor to a safe state. Both these automated protection systems are installed in a control room local to the reactor building, protected from adverse conditions. In addition, it is connected to a semi-remote control room, anticipated as a multi-unit control room to include the monitoring and control of the auxiliary systems. Probable case studies of human error associated with multi-unit control rooms were evaluated against the logic of the Control and Limitation System. Fault Tree Analysis was used to investigate all possible failures. The evaluation determined the reliability of the Control and Limitation System and highlighted areas which design engineers should take into account if a higher reliability is required. The scenario was expanded, applying the same methods, to include the large release of fission products in order to verify the reliability calculations. The probability of a large release of fission products compared with studies done on other nuclear installations revealed to be much less for the evaluated HTR as was expected. As the study has proved that human error cannot have a negative influence on the safety of the reactor, it can be concluded that the first step has been met which is required, when applying for a waiver to utilise a multi-unit control room for the small pebble bed HTR NPP. Also, from the study, it is recommended that a practical approach be applied for the evaluation of operator duties on a live plant, to optimise the number of operators required. This in turn will position the inherent safe HTR competitively over other power stations. / MIng (Nuclear Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Current regulations specify the minimum number of operators required per nuclear power plant. However, these requirements are based on the operation of large nuclear power plants, which are not inherent safe and can result in a meltdown. For newly developed small nuclear reactors, the current number of operators seems to be excessive causing the technology to be less competitive. Before the number of required operators can be optimised, it should be demonstrated that human errors will not endanger or cause risk to the plant or public. For this study, a small pebble bed High Temperature Reactor (HTR) Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), the Th-100, was evaluated. The inherent safety features of this type of nuclear reactor include independent barriers for fission product capture and passive heat dissipation during a loss of coolant. The control and instrumentation architecture include two independent protection systems. The Control and Limitation System is the first protection system to react if the reactor parameters exceed those of the normal operational safe zone. If the Control and Limitation System fail to maintain the reactor within the safe zone, the Reactor Protection System would at that time operate and force the reactor to a safe state. Both these automated protection systems are installed in a control room local to the reactor building, protected from adverse conditions. In addition, it is connected to a semi-remote control room, anticipated as a multi-unit control room to include the monitoring and control of the auxiliary systems. Probable case studies of human error associated with multi-unit control rooms were evaluated against the logic of the Control and Limitation System. Fault Tree Analysis was used to investigate all possible failures. The evaluation determined the reliability of the Control and Limitation System and highlighted areas which design engineers should take into account if a higher reliability is required. The scenario was expanded, applying the same methods, to include the large release of fission products in order to verify the reliability calculations. The probability of a large release of fission products compared with studies done on other nuclear installations revealed to be much less for the evaluated HTR as was expected. As the study has proved that human error cannot have a negative influence on the safety of the reactor, it can be concluded that the first step has been met which is required, when applying for a waiver to utilise a multi-unit control room for the small pebble bed HTR NPP. Also, from the study, it is recommended that a practical approach be applied for the evaluation of operator duties on a live plant, to optimise the number of operators required. This in turn will position the inherent safe HTR competitively over other power stations. / MIng (Nuclear Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Due to the varieties in knowledge advancements nowadays, the concepts of control room have been created in different directions. These concepts have been implemented in various fields of business to increase advantages over competitors. Meanwhile, an individual company has its own experiences and strategies, the results in the actual implementation are different to the conceptual plan. Most of them were not qualified to the actual specification and expectation. These exposures lead this research to find out and discuss about the proper criteria to improve the control centers’ performance. The viewpoints used in this study are discussed based on the perspectives of control system designers, operators, and researchers to create validity for the analysis and conclusion. The final result of this research can be used to generate realization in the necessities of improving control centers to support the operators’ performances to create competitive advantages for business sectors. In conclusion, this research aspires to be used as a guideline for the control centers design and improvement strategies to increase their performance and productivities.

Kärnkraftverk är högteknologiska system med hög komplexitet och utan att hantera den här komplexiteten kan små olyckor få katastrofala följder. Närvaron av komplexitet försämrar förmågan att förstå situationer, minskar kontroll samt ökar risken för incidenter. Stabsarbete inom kärnkraftsdomänen kräver ett agilt beteende för att hantera den höga närvaron av komplexitet. Agilitet är förmågan hos en enhet att framgångsrikt genomföra, hantera och/eller utnyttja förändrade omständigheter. Syftet med arbetet är att utveckla ett mätverktyg för att identifiera indikatorer på agilt beteende i stabsverksamhet inom kärnkraftsdomänen. Mätverktyget ska kunna tillämpas av individer utan djup teoretisk kunskap om agilitet och verktyget har testats och utvärderats i en iterativ process på ett kärnkraftverk i Sverige under ett flertal övningar. Utvecklingen av verktyget skedde i samråd med en expert inom stabsarbete. De största skillnaderna i det mätverktyget som utvecklats i den här rapporten gentemot dess föregångare är att det här mätverktyget har kärnkraftsdomänen som måldomän samt att det tillkom ett femte steg där resultatet får en visuell representation. Verktyget kan tillämpas inom andra kärnkraftverk än kärnkraftverket det användes på men om verktyget ska tillämpas inom andra domäner krävs det att det anpassas till den nya måldomänen.