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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.
John C. Wagner, Charlotta E. Sanders
Nuclear Technology | Volume 139 | Number 2 | August 2002 | Pages 91-126
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT02-A3307
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The effect of fixed absorbers on the reactivity of pressurized water reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in support of burnup-credit criticality safety analyses is examined. A fuel assembly burned in conjunction with fixed absorbers may have a higher reactivity for a given burnup than an assembly that has not used fixed absorbers. As a result, guidance on burnup credit, issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Spent Fuel Project Office, recommends restricting the use of burnup credit to assemblies that have not used burnable absorbers. This recommendation eliminates a large portion of the currently discharged SNF from loading in burnup credit casks and thus severely limits the practical usefulness of burnup credit. Therefore, data are needed to support the extension of burnup credit to additional SNF. This research investigates the effect of various fixed absorbers, including integral burnable absorbers, burnable poison rods, control rods, and axial power shaping rods, on the reactivity of PWR SNF. Trends in reactivity with relevant parameters (e.g., initial fuel enrichment, burnup and absorber type, exposure, and design) are established, and anticipated reactivity effects are quantified. Where appropriate, recommendations are offered for addressing the reactivity effects of the fixed absorbers in burnup-credit safety analyses.