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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.
Edward J. Waller, Jason T. Brown
Nuclear Technology | Volume 175 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 93-104
Technical Paper | Special Issue on the 16th Biennial Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division / Radiation Transport and Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT11-A12276
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Handling radioisotope neutron sources may involve exposure to both neutron and gamma fields. Although the field of gamma dosimetry is well developed and reliable, challenges exist with personal neutron dosimetry. A number of gamma and neutron dosimeters were evaluated for their efficacy in providing personal dosimetry for radioisotope source manipulations. A commercial off-the-shelf electronic neutron dosimeter was observed to underestimate total operator dose when manipulating a 252Cf source. In this work, scaling factors were evaluated using both experimental results and Monte Carlo simulations to allow a measured electronic personal gamma dosimeter (EPGD) dose to be used to estimate the total neutron + gamma dose. The recommended scaling factor using an MGP SOR/R EPGD for free-field 252Cf is 18, and for shielded 252Cf the recommended scaling factor is 6. A conservative single scaling factor of 18 is appropriate for personal dosimetry estimates.
