ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Atul A. Karve, Chae Han, Rizwan-uddin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 123 | Number 2 | August 1998 | Pages 121-129
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT98-A2886
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Axial power shapes that develop during power-maneuvering simulations in pressurized water reactors must be analyzed to ensure that an adequate margin to avoid departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) is maintained during these transients. To reduce the number of flux shapes that need to be analyzed in detail to determine the DNB ratio (DNBR), often generic axial flux shapes are analyzed and maximum-allowable-peaking (MAP) limits are determined to conservatively filter those actual axial power shapes that are clearly safe. Current generic MAP limits, obtained for axial flux shapes generated by a two-parameter-based axial flux shape generator, are overly conservative for some power shapes and are nonconservative for others, leading to unnecessary operational restrictions on conservative cases. A penalty is imposed on nonconservative cases. To reduce the number of overly conservative and nonconservative cases, a new generic axial power shape generator that is based on three parameters is developed. Generic MAP limits have been developed for the new axial flux shape generator and tested using real flux shapes by plotting the percent deviation of MAP limits for generic flux shapes from the corresponding value for actual flux shapes. A new axial flux shape generator, which is clearly superior because it leads to a significantly lower percent deviation, will lead to reduced man-hours for detailed DNBR analyses and remove some of the unnecessary operational restrictions imposed by the old flux shape generator.