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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.
Vasiliy Arzhanov, Imre Pázsit, Ninos S. Garis
Nuclear Technology | Volume 131 | Number 2 | August 2000 | Pages 239-251
Technical Paper | Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3114
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It has been proposed that the fluctuations of the neutron current, called the current noise, can be used in addition to the scalar noise in reactor diagnostic problems. The possibility of the localization of a vibrating control rod pin in a pressurized water reactor control assembly is investigated by using the scalar neutron noise and the two-dimensional radial current noise as measured at one central point in the assembly. An explicit localization technique is elaborated in which the searched position is determined as the absolute minimum of a minimization function. The technique is investigated in numerical simulations. The results of the simulation tests show the potential applicability of the method.