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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.
Takashi Hosoma, Masanori Aritomi, Tsunemichi Kawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 129 | Number 2 | February 2000 | Pages 218-235
Technical Paper | Reprocessing | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3058
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Excess pressure caused by the bubble and the pressure shift resulting from the air column in a dip-tube pressure measurement are the error sources to be considered for highly accurate density, level, and volume determination of plutonium nitrate solution in a tank. A new approach to estimate the maximum, the minimum, and the average of oscillating excess pressure as a function of tube diameter d, solution density , and surface tension without including height, curvature, and amplitude of the bubble is proposed. This approach can be applied without reducing the rate of downward airflow that is necessary to prevent contamination. When the estimates were compared with the experimental results in a water-ethanol system within the range 3.6 × 10-6 /(g) 7.4 × 10-6 (m2) and 1.8 d(g/)1/2 9.6, the mean of the difference was <2 Pa. The estimate for the maximum excess pressure was also compared with the conventional formula, and the difference was <1 Pa. We also proposed an equation to estimate the surface tension of the plutonium nitrate solution. For the pressure shift, a new formula assuming that the air density varies exponentially in the tube is proposed. The measured differential pressure is proportional to the hydrostatic pressure, and the coefficient is nearly independent of the liquid level. These correction factors of excess pressure and pressure shift can practically be given as constants.