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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.
S. Mostafa Ghiaasiaan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 81 | Number 1 | April 1988 | Pages 28-38
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34076
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A model was developed to simulate thermal-hy-draulic phenomena in the downcomer and lower plenum of a pressurized water reactor during reflooding. The system dynamics were formulated in terms of a set of time-dependent ordinary differential equations that were integrated numerically. A model was developed to simulate the oscillatory flow in the downcomer-lower plenum-core system. A numerical procedure was devised for solving the governing global momentum equation. This procedure is shown to be numerically stable and computationally efficient. The developed model for downcomer and lower plenum was coupled to the core thermal-hydraulic model, and predictions were made for FLECHT-SET experimental data. The results compared well with the experiment.