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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.
Gregory R. Piefer, John F. Santarius, Robert P. Ashley, Gerald L. Kulcinski
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 47 | Number 4 | May 2005 | Pages 1255-1259
Technical Paper | Fusion Energy - Nonelectric Applications | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A860
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent developments in helicon ion sources and Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) device performance at UW-Madison have enabled low pressure (< 50 torr, 6.7 mPa) operating conditions that should allow the 3He-3He fusion reaction to be observed in an IEC device. An ion source capable of delivering a ~ 10 mA 3He ion beam into an IEC device with minimal neutral gas flow has been designed and tested. Furthermore, a new IEC device that has never been operated with deuterium has been constructed to avoid D-3He protons from obstructing the 3He-3He reaction product spectrum, and to minimize Penning ionization of deuterium by excited helium, which in the past is suspected to have limited the ionized density of He. These developments make it possible to study beam-background 3He-3He fusion reactions with > 300 mA recirculating ion currents.
