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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.
Alexander K. Popov, Juri N. Pepyolyshev, Eugene A. Bondarchenko
Nuclear Technology | Volume 139 | Number 1 | July 2002 | Pages 21-29
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT02-A3299
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A model of the IBR-2 pulsed reactor of periodic operation is developed to facilitate modeling of transitional processes. The model is constructed as a module structure with the help of discrete transitional functions of the kinetics, power feedback, and automatic regulator blocks taking into account nonlinear relationships. Good agreement between the calculated and experimental dependence of changes in the power for different changes in the setting reactivity is achieved. Using the model, power transition processes have been evaluated at different values of the parameters of the automatic power regulator (APR). It has been shown that the best transition processes correspond to higher APR rates at the elimination of the APR smoothing unit. Recommendations are given for choosing the APR parameters.