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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.
Charles V. McIsaac, Richard S. Denning, Rajiv Kohli, Douglas W. Akers
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 1 | August 1989 | Pages 224-233
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Materials Behavior / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27650
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Radiochemical, elemental, and particle size analyses have been performed on samples collected from the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor and auxiliary buildings. Measurements of the airborne concentration of iodine several days after the accident indicated that the equilibrium airborne concentration was at a maximum of 0.03% of core inventory inside the reactor building (RB), evidently as organic forms. Iodine was released to the reactor coolant during the accident and ∼14% of the core inventory of iodine was in solution in the water in the RB basement. Between 8 and 100% of the core inventory of iodine was accounted for in the sediment distributed over the RB basement floor. About 47% of the core inventory of cesium was released from the core. The majority of the released cesium was in solution in the water in the RB basement. Antimony and ruthenium were retained in the core, associated with stainless steel materials. Strontium and cerium were retained in the core in the forms of refractory oxides. Fuel and control rod elements found in the reactor coolant drain tank were evidently transported away from the core as condensed vapors in the form of hydrosols.