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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.
Chin-Jang Chang, Chien-Hsiung Lee, Wen-Tang Hong, Lance L. C. Wang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 143 | Number 1 | July 2003 | Pages 65-76
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT03-A3398
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A passive core cooling system (PCCS) has been installed at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research Integral System Test facility. It includes three core makeup tanks (CMTs), three accumulators (ACCs), a four-stage automatic depressurization system (ADS), a passive residual heat removal (PRHR) heat exchanger submerged into an in-containment refueling water storage tank (IRWST). The purpose of this research is to study the performance of the PCCS with passive injection during either a pressure balance line (PBL) break or a direct vessel injection (DVI) line break. Five experiments were performed simulating break area ratios of 0.5 to 2.0% (1.88 to 3.77 mm) at either a PBL or a DVI line. The general system response and the interactions of CMT, ACC, PRHR, and IRWST to the effect of core heat removal are observed and discussed. The experimental results show long-term core cooling can be reached for the cases of the PBL break and the DVI-line break following the PCCS actuation procedures.