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.
Albert G. Gu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 177 | Number 2 | February 2012 | Pages 157-175
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A13363
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper introduces a combined micro and macro (CMM) parameter perturbation theory for boiling water reactor (BWR) lattice design and optimization, which involves a large number of independent design variables and a large scale of variations. With this theory, engineers are able to meet the challenges from both accuracy and speed requirements. This theory was applied to the BWR fuel assembly lattice design in AREVA. A BWR fast lattice simulator (FLS) and a BWR fuel assembly lattice optimizer (BALO) were built and assisted engineers working on the lattice design and optimization. In addition to the discussion of this theory, the BALO/FLS calculation results are used to show that this theory can meet both speed and accuracy criteria of design as well as cover the large design range. Moreover, the results also show that two major perturbation issues in BWR lattice design and optimization, i.e., the large swing of average lattice enrichment and the thermal neutron black absorber's distribution as burnable poison can be resolved with the CMM perturbation theory. Finally, it is pointed out that the macro parameter perturbation combined with the micro parameter perturbation is extremely important to the accuracy.