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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.
Hwan-Seo Park, In-Tae Kim, Hwan-Young Kim, Byung Gil Ahn, Eung Ho Kim, Han Soo Lee
Nuclear Technology | Volume 172 | Number 3 | December 2010 | Pages 287-294
Technical Paper | Reprocessing | doi.org/10.13182/NT10-A10937
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The molten salt waste from a pryochemical process to recover uranium and transuranic elements is one of the problematic radioactive wastes to be solidified into a durable waste form for its final disposal. This paper suggests a new method as a dechlorination approach to the immobilization of salt waste. The inorganic composite consists of SiO2, Al2O3, and P2O5 (SAP), which can generate a series of reactive sites for metal chlorides when in contact with molten salt. Under an oxidative condition, metal chlorides were successfully dechlorinated and converted into metal aluminosilicate, metal aluminophosphate, and metal orthophosphate, which are manageable at a high temperature. The optimum mixing ratio of SAP/salt in weight is about 2, and a borosilicate glass shows good compatibility with the reaction products containing phosphate compounds. By using a glass, a highly monolithic waste form was successfully fabricated at 1100°C, and more than 33 wt% of mixing ratio of glass as a chemical binder increased the chemical durability of the waste form. Use of SAP as an effective stabilizer can offer a chance to avoid Cl-induced problems and control the vaporization of volatile elements. This allows a high degree of freedom in the fabrication of monolithic waste form.