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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.
M. Humberstone, B. Wood, J. Henkel, J. W. Hines
Nuclear Technology | Volume 173 | Number 1 | January 2011 | Pages 35-45
Technical Paper | NPIC&HMIT Special / Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A11482
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Models used for system monitoring must strike a balance between stability and elasticity. Ideally, a model should adapt to new operating conditions without losing the ability to differentiate faults from nominal conditions. To this end, an adaptive nonparametric model (ANPM) has been developed for integrated monitoring, diagnostic, and prognostic use on small to medium size reactors. This paper gives an overview of the development of the ANPM with two example applications. The ANPM's original intent is to adapt a nonparametric model's memory matrix from data created using a first principle model (FPM) to the system's actual unfaulted data. This would be useful for monitoring new system designs from first construction and operation when the only available data are from FPMs. The FPM's data are used to build the best possible models initially, but during the system's operation, new data can be collected that are more accurate for future empirical model predictions. The use of the ANPM is demonstrated on two systems. The first system is a heat exchanger model that is modeled in SIMULINK with both a low-fidelity and a high-fidelity simulation. The second system is a flow loop, a physical system at The University of Tennessee that is also modeled in SIMULINK. The results of testing the ANPM on nonfaulted conditions for the heat exchanger model and the flow loop are given. Areas of future work and development are outlined.