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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.
Yean-Chuan Yeh, Jyh-Tong Teng
Nuclear Technology | Volume 84 | Number 3 | March 1989 | Pages 252-255
Technical Paper | Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Risk Management / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34207
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A quantified correlation process to assess those dynamic human error probabilities for which timing data can be sampled from generic occurrences and/or from plant-specific simulator training records is presented. The method is based on a comparison between two random variables, representing the critical time for system response and the action time for operator achievement capability. The maximum entropy estimator is employed to handle the sampled timing data. The operator action in performing rapid cooldown and depressurization following an initiating event of steam generator tube rupture is used to delineate this method. The resulting datum has been successfully applied in a risk analysis project.