experience with high performance hmi at two durham wrfs · 2018-04-04 · experience with high...

Experience with High Performance HMI at Two Durham WRFsNC AWWA-WEA Annual ConferenceRaleigh Convention CenterNovember 15, 2016

John Dodson – City of DurhamDan Edwards – Hazen and Sawyer

Presenters

Presentation Outline

• Project History• New System• High Performance HMI• Implementation at Durham• Operator Experience• Benefits of HPHMI

Project History

• Major plant upgrade/expansion projects in early-mid 90’s

• New Distributed Control Systems (DCSs) for each plant

• Replaced with PLC-based systems in late 2000’s

• Tried to emulate DCS functionality and displays

• City not satisfied with result

New System

• Additional process/capacity improvements in early 2010’s

• Decision to replace Human-Machine Interface (HMI) software• Major parts of process being modified

• Planning on replacing HMI soon

• Eliminate re-work in future

• Hazen recommended City consider High Performance HMI

Traditional HMI Displays

• Original displays simple schematics

• Graduated to 3D and photos

• Admittedly visually pleasing

• Important info lost in clutter

• Numbers without context

• Alarms don’t stand out

• May not enhance situational awareness

High Performance HMI

• Accidents in the process industries• Advent of the glass cockpit in aviation• Need for better situational awareness• 2008 book “The High Performance HMI Handbook”

by Hollifield, Oliver, Habibi, and Nimmo

High Performance HMI

• Use of muted colors –no red/green

• Alarms bright red/yellow and flash

• Bar graphs with normal/alarm ranges

• Spark lines – miniature trends

• Hierarchical displays

Implementation at Durham• Incorporated requirements

into project specifications

• Required four graphic display workshops• Work through concepts before

production

• Staff buy in and comfort factor

• Collaborative team approach

• Pre-selection of control system integrator• Work under contractor

• Initially skeptical

• “Born again” converts to concepts

Summary of HPHMI Benefits• Understanding of process health “at a glance”• Quickly notice alarms• Easy access to trends• Better situational awareness• Easier, faster, more effective troubleshooting

Acknowledgements

Charlie Cocker – City of DurhamNewman Gunter – City of Durham

Questions?