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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.
Hae Yong Jeong, Hee Cheon No
Nuclear Technology | Volume 124 | Number 1 | October 1998 | Pages 52-64
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT98-A2908
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A few features of the reflood model in RELAP5/MOD3.1 have been modified to improve the unrealistic prediction results of the model. In the new method, the modified Zuber pool boiling critical heat flux correlation is adopted in the range of mass flux G < 150 kg/m2s. The new criterion for reflood drop size, which is characterized by the use of We = 1.5 and a minimum drop size of 0.0007 m for p* 0.025, has been suggested based on some experimental data and the correlation derived through regression analyses of many reflood experiments. To describe the wall-to-vapor heat transfer at low pressure and low flow, the Webb-Chen correlation is utilized. The suggested method has been verified through simulations of the Lehigh University rod bundle reflood tests. A sensitivity study shows that the effect of drag coefficients is dominant in the reflood model. It is proved that current modifications result in much improved quench behavior and accurate wall and vapor temperature predictions when they are compared with those by the frozen version of RELAP5/MOD3.1.