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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.
Y. W. Wang, C. H. King, B. S. Pei
Nuclear Technology | Volume 83 | Number 1 | October 1988 | Pages 56-64
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34175
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A wide range of combinations of gas and liquid flow rates that form various flow patterns are investigated. By analyzing the signal spectra detected by a single sensor using light techniques, the criteria for identifying two-phase flow patterns are proposed. By applying these criteria with only one parameter, the high-frequency contribution fraction (HFCF), the reasonable identifying performance is 76% when churn flow is counted and 88% when churn flow is not counted. When ᾱ is added as an auxiliary to HFCF, the identifying performance can be increased to 83 and 96%, depending on whether churn flow is counted. Both parameters can be acquired by signals from a single void fraction sensor. The criteria are expected to apply to other void fraction measurable systems for identifying two-phase flow patterns.