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Abstract
Expert systems offer the prospect of extending the range of tasks which can be accomplished using computers. Although many of the claims made about expert systems are somewhat speculative, the potential impact on a wide range of tasks performed within the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) is sufficient to have generated support for a variety of prototype studies and research into the subject. This paper particularly highlights research at the Central Electricity Research Laboratory (CERL) related to: (a) the application of qualitative methods in the development of expert systems as power station operator aids; (b) the use of expert systems for advice on welding, non-destructive testing and wayleave weed control; (c) the treatment of uncertainty in expert systems and implications related to features, such as completeness, of the knowledge base. Some categorization of potential application areas is presented and general considerations in setting up a project, including aspects of knowledge elicitation and system options, are discussed.