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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.
Yasuteru Sibamoto, Hideo Nakamura, Yoshinari Anoda
Nuclear Technology | Volume 133 | Number 1 | January 2001 | Pages 119-132
Technical Paper | Radioisotopes | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3163
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Neutron radiography was used to observe the behavior of molten lead-bismuth alloy injected into a thin (10-mm) semicircular vessel, which was empty or contained saturated water. The fluid velocity distribution for the melt injected into the empty vessel was successfully measured using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The numerical analysis for this case using the FLOW-3D code revealed that the wall heat transfer attenuates the rotational speed of swirls that were formed during the melt injection. The melt-coolant interaction experiment demonstrated several features of molten fuel and coolant interactions in the reactor pressure vessel lower head. The violent vapor expansion occurred at the initial melt impact on the saturated pool water. A one-dimensional model predicted the observed behavior well by assuming the adiabatic expansion immediately after an instantaneous heat transfer during the first melt coolant contact. A crust was formed between the melt and coolant by the heterogeneous distribution of the coolant and pool melt. The convective velocity distribution in the pool melt was measured well by the PIV.