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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.
Yutaka Kameo, Mikio Nakashima, Takakuni Hirabayashi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 137 | Number 2 | February 2002 | Pages 139-146
Technical Paper | Decontamination/Decommissioning | doi.org/10.13182/NT02-A3263
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To apply the laser ablation technique for decontamination of metal wastes contaminated with radioactive nuclides, the effect of irradiation atmospheres on removal of oxide layers on steel surfaces by laser ablation was studied. Based on the assumption that the absorption of laser light follows the Lambert-Beer law, ablation parameters, such as absorption length and threshold fluence for ablation, of sintered Fe2O3 and stainless and carbon steels were measured in He, O2, Kr, or SF6 atmospheres. The results indicated that SF6 was the most effective gas of all irradiation atmospheres studied for the exclusive removal of oxide layers formed on stainless and carbon steel samples in high-temperature pressurized water. Secondary ion mass spectroscopic measurement and scanning electron microscopic observation confirmed that no oxide layer existed on the steel samples after the exclusive removal with laser irradiation.
