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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.
Joop F. van de Vate
Nuclear Technology | Volume 81 | Number 2 | May 1988 | Pages 246-256
Technical Paper | Nuclear Aerosol Science / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34095
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The role of leak types in various containment designs is discussed relative to the release of particulate radioactivity release from a containment building. It is concluded that the tendency in containment integrity philosophy toward “leak-before-break” emphasizes the importance of aerosol deposition in leak paths. Furthermore, the leak paths in cracked concrete containment walls (either primary or secondary) can be regarded to be the most effective locations for such aerosol deposition. The various physical processes of aerosol deposition in leak paths are treated and evaluated. Limited experimental evidence is given of the importance of aerosol deposition in cracks through concrete walls. Inertial deposition in the high flow rate regime and gravitational settling in the low flow rate regime govern this deposition. A preliminary general equation is given describing aerosol penetration through a crack in concrete.