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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.
Tsutomu Sakurai, Akira Takahashi, Niro Ishikawa, Yoshihide Komaki
Nuclear Technology | Volume 83 | Number 1 | October 1988 | Pages 24-30
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34172
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The composition of NOx generated in the dissolution of UO2 has been described in different ways by earlier authors. Finding a way to determine the NOx composition in the dissolution included experiments concerning the reactions of NO and NO2 with 3 to 6 M HNO3. The following conclusions have been obtained for the dissolution: (a) of the NOx, NO is the direct product of the dissolution [3UO2 + 8HNO3 → 3UO2(NO3)2 + 2NO + 4H2O]; (b) part of the NO is converted quickly to NO2 by the second reaction, i.e., NO + 2HNO3→ 3NO2 + H2O (the equilibrium constant of this reaction determines the NOx composition); (c) the dissolution is therefore expressible as 3UO2 + 4(2 + x)HNO3→3UO2(NO3)2 + 2(1 — x)NO + 6xNO2 + 2(2 + x)H2O, (0 < × < 1) (some values of the × were obtained); (d) the amount of NO2 in the NOx is considerably smaller than that reported by earlier authors, e.g., 25% for 6.7 MHNO3 at 101°C; (e) UO2(NO3)2 coexisting in the solution tends to increase the NO component in the NOx.
