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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.
David T. Hobbs
Nuclear Technology | Volume 128 | Number 1 | October 1999 | Pages 103-112
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT128-103
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Addition of sodium hydroxide to radioactive waste solutions produced a heterogeneous mixture of solids that exhibit different settling characteristics. Plutonium effectively coprecipitated with iron and uranium, and uranium with iron. Aluminum proved ineffective as a coprecipitating agent for either plutonium or uranium. Coprecipitation of uranium and plutonium occurs when the mole ratio of coprecipitating agent to actinide exceeds 1500. Addition of water to the alkaline slurries that simulate dilution during retrieval and pretreatment of high-level wastes results in dissolution of small amounts of uranium and plutonium in some slurries. The amount of uranium and plutonium dissolved did not saturate the solution in either actinide.