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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.
Kunihiko Takeda, Hatsuki Onitsuka, Heiichiro Obanawa, Shin Saito
Nuclear Technology | Volume 81 | Number 3 | June 1988 | Pages 421-428
Technical Paper | Radioisotopes and Isotope Separation | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A16063
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Process energy of the chemical uranium enrichment process is discussed using the dynamic enrichment factor, avoiding a cluster of commonly used equations that correlate relevant engineering parameters. An advanced process, whose process energy was found to be much smaller than in the original process in both laboratory and bench tests, has been recently developed and applied to a pilot plant. The basic principle underlying the improvement is an inverse redox reaction induced by the increased sorbability of multicoordinated metal-complex ions onto an ion-exchange resin. The energy requirement for the advanced process will be reduced to <100 kW·h/kg·separative work unit.