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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.
Jungsook Clara Wren, Joanne M. Ball, Glenn A. Glowa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 125 | Number 3 | March 1999 | Pages 337-362
Technical Paper | Radioisotopes | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A2952
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Organic impurities in containment water, originating from various painted structural surfaces and organic containment materials, could have a significant impact on iodine volatility following an accident. To determine the effect of these impurities on iodine volatility under accident conditions, literature, experimental, and modeling studies have been conducted on1. the radiolysis of organic compounds in the aqueous phase2. thermal and radiolytic formation and decomposition of organic iodides3. dissolution of organic solvents from various painted surfaces into the aqueous phase4. hydrolysis and aqueous-gas phase partitioning of organic iodides5. iodine deposition on painted surfaces.The experimental studies consist of intermediate-scale "integrated effects" tests in the Radioiodine Test Facility and bench-scale "separate effects" tests. Recent findings from these studies and implications of these studies on the safety analysis of an accident in a nuclear power station are discussed.The studies have shown that organic impurities will be found in containment water as a result of the dissolution of organic compounds from various surface paints. These compounds can have a significant effect on iodine volatility following an accident. The main influence of containment paints on iodine behavior will arise as a result of the aqueous-phase radiolysis of dissolved organic solvents, which are leached from the painted surface by the water. The radiolysis products will decrease the sump pH and dissolved oxygen concentration, consequently increasing the overall rate of conversion of dissolved I- to volatile I2. It appears that the rates of these processes may be controlled by the dissolution kinetics of the organic compounds from the surface coatings. Moreover, organic compounds may also react thermally and radiolytically with I2 to form organic iodides in the aqueous phase. Our studies have shown that the formation of organic iodides in the aqueous phase from soluble organic compounds such as ketones, alcohols, and phenols will have more impact on the total iodine volatility than the formation of CH3I from CH4 and I2 from either the gas or the aqueous phase.
