Simulators and Operating Concepts for Hydrogen Production

A human-in-the-loop study was performed to demonstrate and evaluate the concept of operators for a simulated thermal dispatch system that couples a nuclear power plant to a nearby hydrogen production plant. The thermal dispatch system diverts steam from the traditional electricity production to a nearby hydrogen plant as an alternative revenue stream to bolster the nuclear power plant's economic viability. The research entailed developing a full-scope nuclear control room simulator capability to dynamically represent operational contexts for the thermal dispatch system to evaluate potential operational impacts. Operators provided design feedback during the formative concept of operations development-human-machine interface and procedures, while a separate group of operators provided evaluation feedback during full-scope simulator scenario testing. Operators were able to successfully control the system across both normal and abnormal scenarios. This paper describes the activities required to develop the concept of operations and test this concept in a full-scope simulator.