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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.
Corinne Bangil, Gérard Gambier, Michel Soldevila
Nuclear Technology | Volume 84 | Number 3 | March 1989 | Pages 344-349
Technical Paper | Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Risk Management / Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34218
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pressurized water reactor four-batch fuel management represents, in the present context, an economic optimum for the French standardized series of reactors. Plutonium recycling on an industrial scale has already started in France; therefore, it is essential to ascertain its compatibility with four-batch refueling requirements. In the survey considered, it is shown that a core refueled annually with 28 UO2 assemblies, having a 3.7% 235 U content and 12 mixed-oxide assemblies containing 6.5% plutonium, entirely satisfies safety criteria under normal operating conditions. A supplementary survey will be performed to assess its behavior under such accident conditions as steam line break and rod ejection.