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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.
Alexandra Pudewills, Ekkehard Korthaus, Rainer H. Köster
Nuclear Technology | Volume 82 | Number 1 | July 1988 | Pages 71-80
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34118
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The final disposal of high-level radioactive waste in a salt dome affects the thermomechanical behavior of the surrounding rock salt due to the temperature rise caused by the heat generation of the radioactive waste. The long-term safety analysis of the nuclear waste repository requires laboratory studies, in situtests, and the use of numerical calculations to predict the thermomechanical effects in the near and far fields of the repository. The near-field thermomechanical phenomena around several in situtemperature tests and a 300-m-deep conceptual borehole were studied numerically. Thermally induced closure of the boreholes and the strain-stress field distribution in the rock salt following the pressure load on the measuring probe surface and on the waste containers were determined. The calculations were performed with the commercial finite element program ADINA, taking into account the nonlinear and time-dependent behavior of the rock salt. The purpose of these investigations was a validation of the numerical methods, of the thermomechanical material parameters of rock salt, and of the model boundary conditions. The agreement between the results of the calculations and the measured values has shown that a relatively good prediction can be made of the thermomechanical effects in the near field of a waste disposal area with the numerical methods and the material laws used.