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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.
Michel Rome, Massimo Salvatores, Jacques Mondot, Michel Le Bars
Nuclear Technology | Volume 94 | Number 1 | April 1991 | Pages 87-98
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A16224
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Spent fuel has been reprocessed in France since the beginning of the French nuclear program. In June 1985, it was decided to recycle plutonium in French pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants. A generic safety report for the Electricité de France 900-MW PWR issued in 1986 demonstrated the feasibility of recycling mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel with a maximum ratio of 30% MOX assemblies in each reload for a total of one-third of the annual core cycle. Between November 1987 and the beginning of 1990, seven MOX reloads were introduced in four reactors. The 2 yr of experience in plutonium reload operations in the French 900-MW PWR is described.
