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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
Richard R. Hobbins, Malcolm L. Russell, Charles S. Olsen, Richard K. McCardell
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 4 | December 1989 | Pages 1005-1012
Late Paper | TMI-2: Decontamination and Waste Management / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27692
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The behavior of melts in severe accident sequences affects the nature (composition and fission product inventory) of the debris released from the vessel upon lower head failure in unmitigated accidents and the coolability of debris at various stages in managed accidents. Core melting progressed further in the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) accident than in any of the severe core damage experiments that have been conducted since the accident, and, therefore, TMI-2 represents a valuable source of information that extends into later phases of core melt progression, including melt relocation into the lower plenum. Examination and evaluation of melts within the TMI-2 reactor vessel indicate that melts can form uncoolable geometries in the core but they can also break through the surrounding crust, massively relocate into the lower plenum, and fragment upon interaction with water resident in the lower plenum to form a rubble bed of coolable geometry. The chemistry of melts, particularly the oxygen potential, affects fission product chemical form and, therefore, retention in the melt. The chemistry also determines interactions of the melts with reactor pressure vessel components.