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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.
Paul A. Smith
Nuclear Technology | Volume 92 | Number 3 | December 1990 | Pages 363-373
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A16237
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The results of a diffusion-sorption experiment, using simulated groundwater spiked with a mixture of I25I, 85Sr, and 137Cs, are modeled by a one-dimensional porous-medium approach in which sorption is described by Freundlich isotherms. The governing equations are solved analytically for the special case of a linear isotherm and numerically using the RANCH-DIFF computer code for nonlinear isotherms. A set of time-dependent ordinary differential equations is obtained using the Lagrange interpolation technique and is integrated by Gear’s variable-order predictor-corrector method. The analysis allows the diffusion coefficients and parameters of the Freundlich isotherms to be extracted from the experimental data. It is shown that the sorption behavior of 85Sr can be modeled successfully by a linear isotherm, using a sorption parameter consistent with batch-sorption tests. The behavior of 137Cs may be modeled by a nonlinear isotherm, but the amount of 137Cs sorbed is less than that anticipated from batch-sorption tests. Iodine-125 is assumed to be nonsorbing and is used to determine the porosity of the rock.