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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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The human factor in licensing and operating the next generation of nuclear plants
As human factors specialists working at the intersection of human performance and nuclear operations, we are witnessing one of the nuclear sector’s most significant transitions in decades. The emergence of small modular reactors, microreactors, and other advanced designs is reshaping the industry’s landscape. Digital instrumentation and controls, passive safety systems, and increased automation are creating opportunities for greater safety margins and more flexible operation. These same features also fundamentally redefine what it means to “operate” a nuclear plant. Interactions among human roles, automation, and passive systems shape how people maintain awareness, exercise judgment, and intervene when necessary. These developments affect both operational realities and the regulatory foundations on which nuclear safety is built.
Technical Session|Sponsored by RPD|Cosponsored by THD
Wednesday, November 18, 2020|4:50–6:30PM EST
Session Chair:
Alisha Kasam-Griffith (ANL)
Alternate Chair:
Pavel V. Tsvetkov
Session Organizer:
Florent Heidet
Staff Producer:
Jay Bogardus (American Nuclear Society)
To access the session recording, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
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Investigation of Fuel Assembly Homogenization Effect and Improvement for VTR
Tingzhou Fei (Argonne National Laboratory), Florent Heidet (Argonne National Laboratory), Zhiwen Xu (TerraPower), Zhaopeng Zhong (Argonne National Laboratory)
Paper
CFD Analysis of the Effect of Edge Fillets on Pressure Drop for a Pipe-to-Annulus Geometry
Florent Heidet (Argonne National Laboratory), Su-Jong Yoon (Idaho National Laboratory), Dillon R. Shaver (Argonne National Laboratory)
OpenMC-Based Generation of Multigroup Cross-Sections for Analysis of the Versatile Test Reactor
Florent Heidet (Argonne National Laboratory), Adam G. Nelson (Argonne National Laboratory), Alisha A. Kasam-Griffith (Argonne National Laboratory)
Design and Demonstration of a Rabbit Experiment System for the Versatile Test Reactor
Abdullah Weiss (Texas A&M University), Jason Hearne (Texas A&M University), David W. Wootan (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Pavel V. Tsvetkov (Texas A&M University), Delia Perez-Nunez (Texas A&M University), Luis H. Ortega (Texas A&M University), Karen V. Kirkland (Texas A&M University), Mark L. Kimber (Texas A&M University), Sean M. McDeavitt (Texas A&M University)
