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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. J. Loughlin, E. I. Polunovskiy, S. Zheng
Nuclear Technology | Volume 175 | Number 1 | July 2011 | Pages 271-275
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-A12299
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The nuclear fusion devices using the principle of magnetic plasma confinement such as the ITER tokamak are going to consist of a variety of highly heterogeneous, nuclear-radiation-sensitive components. The compactness of the ITER tokamak makes it difficult to rely on large safety margins. Under these circumstances the use of reasonably heterogeneous, highly precise models for the nuclear analysis is going to be unavoidable. Techniques have been developed to create these models based as directly as possible on computer-aided design (CAD) specifications, thereby retaining fidelity and speeding up the process. Inevitably, some adaption of the CAD model is necessary as part of the conversion process.This paper describes the approach to the production of the models for nuclear analysis for ITER developed by the neutronics group in the ITER Organization. Algorithmization of the CAD-based modeling for MCNP code has been undertaken.