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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.
Jorge Arpa, Jose Ramos, Juan R. Villar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 83 | Number 3 | December 1988 | Pages 334-343
Technical Paper | Fifth International Retran Meeting / Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34146
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Three applications of the RETRAN code at Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to enhance plant operational margin and support training simulators are presented. Two of the applications are intended to increase plant availability, one by reducing the frequency of unnecessary reactor trips on turbine trips during power ascension and the other by providing a simple relationship between electrical frequency and reactor coolant flow. This relationship is then used in selecting electrical load-shedding schemes. The third application is in the area of training simulators, where special RETRAN best-estimate analyses have been used as part of the acceptance testing program for the FPL simulators.