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Abstract

It is important for console operators to maintain good situation awareness while monitoring process operations. A key component that helps operators achieve better situation awareness is how the information about the process is displayed on their console. Most oil and gas refineries still utilize traditional schematic displays and connecting lines between equipments to present process information. In this study, we designed a functional layout for an overview display. This layout shows the same process parameters as a traditional schematic display, but in a different format. Eighteen plant operators viewed both displays to monitor a crude unit process and their situation awareness was measured. Results indicated that operators' situation awareness was significantly higher when they monitored the process on a functional display compared with a schematic display. The implications of the findings for continuous process control are discussed.

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Functional versus Schematic Overview Displays: Impact on Operator Situation Awareness in Process Monitoring

Abstract

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