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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.
V. Shepelin, D. Koshmanov, E. Chepelin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 178 | Number 1 | April 2012 | Pages 29-38
Technical Paper | Safety and Technology of Nuclear Hydrogen Production, Control, and Management / Hydrogen Safety and Recombiners | doi.org/10.13182/NT12-A13545
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The structure of the catalyst used in a passive autocatalytic recombiner (PAR) is crucial for making the PAR reliably functional in environments of high humidity and for concentrations of hydrogen above 8 to 10 vol %. The temperature of the catalyst has to be kept below 500°C to avoid the autoignition of hydrogen. A new type of catalyst for the PAR, a hydrophobic catalyst on a low porous metal carrier with a screen [HCm(screen)], was designed by Russian Energy Technologies. It consists of a porous Ti plate with the adsorbtion metal Pt. The surface of the catalyst was completely covered by a metal grid. In a series of tests with different small-scale PARs, the HCm(screen) catalyst was found to function under concentrations of hydrogen up to at least 20 vol %. The effects of mass and heat transfer processes (Fick diffusion, Knudsen diffusion, and Stefan flow) on the thermal regime and characteristics of the working catalyst are discussed. Metal grids of dense weaving appear to be the most suitable for a screen because they have a double function: removing the heat and acting as a gas separation membrane enriching with hydrogen the gas mix in the zone of the catalytic reaction.