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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.
Kohtaro Ueki, Masayoshi Kawai
Nuclear Technology | Volume 132 | Number 2 | November 2000 | Pages 281-289
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT00-A3144
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The 14-MeV neutron streaming experiment with three straight ducts is analyzed with the cell flagging technique of the MCNP code. The contributions of neutrons passing through the flagging cell located at the duct inlet and entering the detectors located in the duct are identified quantitatively. Furthermore, the streaming paths of neutrons entering in the duct inlet are cleared by the analysis.As an application of the cell flagging technique, a neutron streaming system with two-bend cylindrical duct in a thick concrete shield is prepared, and the flagging cells are located around the duct. The contributions of neutrons passing the flagging cells to the detector located at the duct outlet are cleared, and effective compensation shields to reduce the neutron dose-equivalent rate at the duct outlet are obtained by replacing some of the flagging cells with the NS-4-FR shield. Moreover, it is expected that the equilibrating contribution from each flagging cell to the dose-equivalent rate at the duct outlet is the essential function to make an effective compensation shielding system with neutron streaming.