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.
Akira Fukumoto, Toshifumi Hayashi, Akihiko Ohsuga, Shinichi Honiden, Nobuyuki Mori
Nuclear Technology | Volume 124 | Number 3 | December 1998 | Pages 255-264
Technical Paper | Reactor Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT98-A2924
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A formal verification method using an algebraic specification technique is proposed, and its effectiveness is studied. A computerized automatic verification system, which utilizes an algebraic specification to describe system requirements and to prove an inductive theorem based on a term-rewriting technique for verification, is built and evaluated through experimentally verifying the logic design of a digital reactor protection system in boiling water reactors. The results show that the proposed method can mathematically correctly verify the logic design in a limited time, thereby improving accuracy and reducing person-hours for the verification.