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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.
Chun-Chang Chao, Chin-Jang Chang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 130 | Number 1 | April 2000 | Pages 27-38
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3075
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The DPRA-SGTR computer program was written to develop a dynamic event tree for the analysis of a steam generator (SG) tube rupture (SGTR) event. Using the dynamic event tree, a full-scope understanding of the possible responses of a plant following an SGTR event and the related actions with the emergency operating procedures (EOPs) can be analyzed. RELAP5/MOD3.2 was linked to DPRA-SGTR to calculate the thermal-hydraulic response of a Westinghouse three-loop pressurized water reactor at the Maanshan nuclear power plant. One SG tube with a double-ended break was postulated at the beginning of the accident. The plant thermal-hydraulic behaviors, status of the mitigation systems, and operator actions following the EOPs were explicitly modeled in the postulated SGTR. A total of 131 sequences were generated after an SGTR event. Among the 131 sequences, 91 sequences with a frequency sum of 8.5 × 10-6 were stopped either because of low-occurrence frequency (<1 × 10-12) or because the preset mission time was reached (30 000 s after initiating the event). Seven out of the 91 sequences with a frequency sum of 6 × 10-9 were intentionally stopped as a fatal error occurred when RELAP5 was calculating the thermal-hydraulic response.