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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.
Kazuhisa Yuki, Makoto Kawamoto, Munehito Hattori, Koichi Suzuki, Ken-ichi Sunamoto, Akio Sagara
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 68 | Number 3 | October 2015 | Pages 715-719
Technical Note | Proceedings of TOFE-2014 | doi.org/10.13182/FST15-115
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this study, in order to enhance heat transfer performance of helium gas flow for divertor cooling, high thermal conductivity porous media that are copper-particles-sintered ones are introduced as the referential porous media. In order to predict the heat transfer performance of He gas impinging jet flow with the porous medium, nitrogen gas is used as the simulant of helium gas in the pressure range of 0.1 MPa to 0.8 MPa. With the porous medium, the particle introduced is highly size-adjusted one of 1000 μm in diameter and the porosity is almost 30 %. The maximum heat transfer performance is evaluated by numerically simulating temperature field in a heat transfer block based on the measured temperature data. The experiments prove that the heat transfer coefficient of N2 gas impinging jet flow with the porous medium is much higher than that of common impinging jet flow without the porous medium from the view point of not only flow velocity but also pumping power.