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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.
Gabriel F. Cuevas Vivas, Yassin A. Hassan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 127 | Number 3 | September 1999 | Pages 287-300
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT99-A3002
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analysis of the simplified boiling water reactor (SBWR) is carried out using the reactor analysis computer program RAMONA-4B in an operational transient scenario, a turbine trip with failure of all the bypass valves. The SBWR model represents the vessel's internal components, such as flow areas, diameters, and volumes. The one-quarter-core neutron parameters are calculated with the CASMO-3 transport theory lattice physics computer program. The three-dimensional representation of the reactor core uses some standard fuel design parameters, such as a wide central water rod, 8 x 8 lattice, gadolinium rods, etc. The thermal-hydraulic equations are solved with the RAMONA-4B computer program in a closed loop inside the reactor vessel and in 184 parallel channels (including bypass) in the core.Finally, the two-phase coolant and neutronic parameters are calculated in steady state and during the turbine trip transient. The results obtained compare favorably with the standard safety analysis report data.