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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.
Dean Dobranich, Mohamed S. El-Genk
Nuclear Technology | Volume 94 | Number 3 | June 1991 | Pages 372-382
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A15815
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Particle-bed reactors have been proposed to provide high-temperature, low-mass power sources for space-based operation. A computer program was prepared to simulate the thermal and mechanical response of a multilayered fuel particle operating in such a reactor. Issues of concern include temperature gradient and interference thermal stresses, along with the plastic and creep deformations associated with the high temperature of operation. The results of the computer simulations indicate that the interference thermal stress is much larger than the temperature gradient stress and the external pressure stress, and that permanent strain formation cannot be avoided for particles operating at temperatures greater than ∼2300 K. The results also reveal some interesting aspects unique to multilayered fuel particle performance. Two such aspects include (a) the interaction between interference thermal stress and high-temperature creep and (b) the effect of power ramp time on the formation of time-dependent plastic strains.