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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.
Harald Zänker
Nuclear Technology | Volume 86 | Number 3 | September 1989 | Pages 239-247
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A34292
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Periods of continuously decreasing levels of fuel rod integrity due to debris-induced cladding damage, vibration-induced fretting wear of the cladding, etc., cause difficulties in the assessment of fuel rod performance from coolant activity data. The calculational models currently in use for this purpose in nuclear power plants are not sufficiently capable of indicating cases in which they are invalid. This can mislead reactor operators by misinterpretation of the coolant activity data, especially in situations where fast reactions are necessary. A quick test of validity is suggested to check the applicability of the currently available calculational models for estimating the number and average size of fuel rod defects. The criteria of applicability are the fission product total activity, the slope tanα in the relationship Ig(Ri/Bi) = tanαlg λi for the volatile fission product isotopes, and the activity of nonvolatile nuclides such as 239Np and the isotopes of ruthenium and cerium. The objective is to recognize immediately periods of continuously decreasing levels of fuel rod integrity in order to prevent complications in routine power plant maintenance as well as accident situations caused by more severe fuel rod degradation.
