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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 A. Johnson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 170 | Number 3 | June 2010 | Pages 416-421
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT10-A10327
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Transuranic (TRU) conversion ratio is a key cost driver of the advanced fuel cycle. The reactor capacity required to consume the national TRU inventory increases as conversion ratio increases. Achieving zero conversion ratio with metal alloy or oxide fuels is fraught with technical challenges. These difficulties can be overcome by hydriding the metal alloy fuel. In this paper, we present the novel concept of using a uranium-free hydrided metal alloy fuel to achieve zero conversion ratio. A reactor core composed of this novel fuel and that would fit in the Sodium Advanced Fast Reactor core geometry was developed; core performance and TRU consumption is estimated and presented. Concerns about the safety of uranium-free fuels are addressed. Although the Doppler effect is nonexistent in a uranium-free fast core, a substantial Doppler effect is present with the uranium-free hydrided metal alloy fuel.