The use of simulation in the development of human factors guidelines for alarm systems

This paper describes a research program sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to address the human factors engineering (HFE) aspects of nuclear power plant alarm systems. The overall objective of the program is to develop HFE review guidance for advanced alarm systems. As part of this program, guidance was developed based on a broad review and analysis of technical and research literature. In the course of guidance development, aspects of alarm system design for which the technical basis was insufficient to support guidance developed were identified. Experimental research is currently underway to address the highest priority topics: alarm processing and display characteristics. This paper provides an overview of the approach to guidance development and discusses the role of simulation in the development approach. Finally, the current simulator-based experiment is described to illustrate how the alarm system design features are being studied

Simplified plant analysis risk (SPAR) human reliability analysis (HRA) methodology: Comparisons with other HRA methods

The 1994 Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) human reliability analysis (HRA) methodology was developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) in 1994 by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). It was decided to revise that methodology for use by the Simplified Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) program. The 1994 ASP HRA methodology was compared, by a team of analysts, on a point-by-point basis to a variety of other HRA methods and sources. This paper briefly discusses how the comparisons were made and how the 1994 ASP HRA methodology was revised to incorporate desirable aspects of other methods. The revised methodology was renamed the SPAR HRA methodology

Instream complexity increases habitat quality and growth for cutthroat trout in headwater streams

The extent and availability of suitable habitat is a fundamental factor limiting the abundance of natural populations. In many stream ecosystems, habitat degradation has reduced habitat quality by removing critical habitat features such as pools. We hypothesized that adding pool habitat to streams would increase habitat quality for salmonid fish and improve population productivity. In this study, we used instream structures to add pool habitat to four headwater streams and estimated changes to habitat quality for cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii) across two seasons using a bioenergetic model. Fish populations were monitored over 5 years to evaluate how treatments influenced fish abundance and growth. We found that the proportion of suitable habitat was higher in treatment sections and in artificially created pool habitats. Abundance of young-of-the-year trout was higher in treatment reaches in comparison to controls and the growth of trout across all size classes sampled was higher in treatment reaches. Our results indicate that increasing pool habitat improves habitat quality resulting in increased densities of cutthroat trout and higher fish growth. </jats:p

Cutthroat Trout Population Response to Instream Habitat Improvement Efforts

Salmonid fish populations in headwater streams are often limited by the amount and availability of suitable habitat. This limitation can be exacerbated by stressors that contribute to habitat degradation in and around streams. Intense livestock grazing in riparian areas adjacent to streams often reduces or removes streamside vegetation. This loss causes streams to become simplified and the abundance of pool habitat is reduced. In this study, we examined if the addition of instream habitat improvement structures improved the capacity for salmonid survival and recruitment in simplified streams. Four streams in Southeast Idaho, containing only native cutthroat trout, were treated with instream structures last August. Untreated control sections were established to compare the effectiveness of the structures at increasing fish abundance. Fish populations were sampled by two-pass electrofishing in July and October 2016 and will be resampled July 2017. During sampling, fish length and mass were recorded and fish greater than 80 mm in length were tagged to track growth. Using these data we will compare fish population structure in treatment and control sections. The aim of this study is to test the efficiency of woody additions at increasing fish densities in degraded streams

Simplified plant analysis risk (SPAR) human reliability analysis (HRA) methodology: Comparisons with other HRA methods

The 1994 Accident Sequence Precursor (ASP) human reliability analysis (HRA) methodology was developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) in 1994 by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). It was decided to revise that methodology for use by the Simplified Plant Analysis Risk (SPAR) program. The 1994 ASP HRA methodology was compared, by a team of analysts, on a point-by-point basis to a variety of other HRA methods and sources. This paper briefly discusses how the comparisons were made and how the 1994 ASP HRA methodology was revised to incorporate desirable aspects of other methods. The revised methodology was renamed the SPAR HRA methodology