Relating Models for Consistent Diagrams of Critical Systems

Speaker: Juan Bicarregui

3rd March 2004 , 2:30pm , Room 519, Claremont Tower

Abstract

In the design of critical systems, a variety of diagrammatic forms are commonly used for representing different aspects of the design. Safety analyses, using further diagrammatic conventions, requires an inter-disciplinary collaboration between designers who, whilst expert in some domains, may be less familiar with others. Understanding the full significance of such analyses, therefore, requires accurate correlations to be drawn between information represented in the various diagrams. Interpreting the word 'diagram' broadly to include tables and structured lists, we offer a framework which enables the display of consistent, diverse, diagrammatic views of a system.

In this seminar I will outline the framework and present a small case study using an engineering schematic, a HAZOPS table, a fault tree, a plant procedure description and a controller state chart. I will illustrate some consistency relations between these diagrams and discuss an approach to enhance the visual presentation of these diagrams. Finally I will discuss issues related to the implementation of the approach using SQL and XML.

The work presented is joint with David Clark, Julian Gallop and Stephen Morris.