Method for Fidelity Evaluation of Nuclear Power Plant Simulators from the Human Factors Point of View

Abstract: In order to support operator skill acquisition, training simulator environments have to be realistic and represent the real-world counterpart. There is a lot of research on simulator fidelity on various domains, and even though it is also an important topic in the nuclear energy field, there is little research and guidance on how the fidelity of nuclear power plant training simulator should be evaluated. Simulator fidelity evaluation is challenging in the nuclear domain: to be able to use the simulator for training purposes, fidelity evaluation is required before commissioning; on the other hand, it is difficult to compare the simulator to a control room that does not yet exist or that has not yet been upgraded.Our solution to this challenge is a stepwise iterative approach to fidelity assessment that is based on a well-defined fidelity assessment plan, according to which different components of simulator fidelity are evaluated successively in different instants of time. First, we evaluate the physical fidelity including environmental and equipment fidelity; second, we evaluate task and functional fidelity. We will apply our approach in the fidelity evaluation of a training simulator of a Finnish nuclear power plant whose automation and control room systems are digitalized.

Keywords: Simulator Fidelity, Control Room, Nuclear Power, Simulator Training, System Validation

DOI: 10.54941/10025

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