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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.
Tomoyuki Uwaba, Kosuke Tanaka
Nuclear Technology | Volume 136 | Number 1 | October 2001 | Pages 14-23
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3225
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To analyze the wire-wrapped fast breeder reactor (FBR) fuel pin bundle deformation under bundle-duct interaction (BDI) conditions, the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute has developed the BAMBOO computer code. A three-dimensional beam element model is used in this code to calculate fuel pin bowing and cladding oval distortion, which are the dominant deformation mechanisms in a fuel pin bundle. In this work, the property of the cladding oval distortion considering the wire-pitch was evaluated experimentally and introduced in the code analysis.The BAMBOO code was validated in this study by using an out-of-pile bundle compression testing apparatus and comparing these results with the code results. It is concluded that BAMBOO reasonably predicts the pin-to-duct clearances in the compression tests by treating the cladding oval distortion as the suppression mechanism to BDI.
