The Operator's Diagnosis Task under Abnormal Operating Conditions in Industrial Process Plant

Analysis of serious accidents in connection with the operation of technical installations demonstrate that the diagnosis task which confronts personnel under non-normal plant conditions is a critical one. This report presents a preliminary outline of characteristic traits connected with the task of diagnosis for use in discussions of (a) the studies which are necessary in order to formulate the operator's diagnostic procedures and (b) the possibilities which exists for supporting these procedures through appropriate data processing and display in the control system. At the same time, attempts are made to connect ideas for display which currently are under consideration in the department to various phases of the diagnostic task which itself is postulated as being divided up into a sequence of subtasks each with its own typical features.