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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.
Gerhard Windecker, Henryk Anglart
Nuclear Technology | Volume 134 | Number 1 | April 2001 | Pages 49-61
Technical Paper | NURETH-9 | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3185
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The phase and mass flux distribution is analyzed in the fuel bundle of a boiling water reactor (BWR). The numerical predictions of phase distribution, obtained with the multifield two-phase flow model implemented in a computational fluid dynamics code, are compared with detailed void measurements. The present model takes into account the detailed geometry of the assembly and the spatial distribution of heat sources. The influence of spacers is modeled by introducing pressure loss and turbulence sources in the momentum and turbulence equations, respectively. The model has been applied for simulation of bubbly two-phase flow for both subcooled and saturated nucleate boiling in a seven-rod bundle and a typical BWR fuel assembly. The predictions are in good agreement with tomographic measurements performed in the FRIGG loop at Westinghouse Atom.