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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.
Won Il Ko, Jong Won Choi, Jae Sol Lee, Hyun Soo Park, Kun Jai Lee
Nuclear Technology | Volume 127 | Number 1 | July 1999 | Pages 123-140
Technical Note | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A2989
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simulation technique has been applied for evaluation of the Direct Use of Pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent fuel In Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) reactors (DUPIC) fuel-cycle cost incorporating uncertainty terms that have often been a controversial factor in economic analyses. With a view to look at actual scenarios, the present and future Korean nuclear grids with both PWRs and CANDUs were assumed. The resulting values were compared with such conventional options as reprocessing with mixed-oxide fuel to recycle, as well as direct disposal. The results of the probabilistic analysis indicate that the DUPIC fuel cycle could be an option competitive with direct disposal and superior to the reprocessing option. The cost difference between direct disposal and DUPIC options, although dependent on assumed scenarios of nuclear grids, was very small.