ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Yina Zhang, Chao Zhang, Jin Jiang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 177 | Number 1 | January 2012 | Pages 98-106
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A13330
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In this study, computational fluid dynamics simulations are carried out to predict the thermal-hydraulic behavior of supercritical fluids in the subchannel of supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) fuel channels. The thermal-hydraulic behavior of supercritical water in triangular array and square array fuel rod bundles is studied numerically. The effects of various parameters including the pitch-to-diameter ratio and Reynolds number on the flow and the heat transfer characteristics are investigated. It is found that the turbulent mixing coefficient of supercritical water in subchannels is strongly dependent on the fluid bulk temperature and pitch-to-diameter ratio in the vicinity of the pseudo-critical point. To have a higher overall turbulent mixing coefficient, a pitch-to-diameter ratio less than 1.2 is recommended for the design of SCWR. The turbulent mixing coefficient correlation for the triangular array rod bundle is developed in this study based on the numerical results. However, the correlation for the mixing coefficient for the square array rod bundle cannot be expressed as a general correlation.