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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.
Yeon Soo Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 130 | Number 1 | April 2000 | Pages 9-17
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3073
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The literature dealing with fission gas release from UO2+x is reviewed. A simplified semiempirical model predicting fission gas release from UO2+x fuel to the fuel rod plenum as a function of stoichiometry excess x is developed to apply to the fuel of a defective light water reactor fuel rod in operation. An effective diffusion coefficient including a parabolic dependence of x is obtained based on existing data in the literature. The new diffusion coefficient is a composite expression of intrinsic, fission-enhanced, and nonstoichiometry-induced diffusion. The effective diffusion coefficient is incorporated into the Booth model to assess the time-dependent fractional fission gas release. The new model predictions are compared with existing data.