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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.
Sandra M. Sloan, Yassin A. Hassan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 89 | Number 2 | February 1990 | Pages 177-182
Technical Paper | Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34344
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The results generated from the IBM version of RELAP5/MOD2 are compared with the experimental data of an International Atomic Energy Agency standard problem exercise. The standard problem exercise data were that of a 7.4% break loss-of-coolant accident conducted at a test facility in Hungary. The United States did not formally participate in this exercise, whose aim was to assess the capabilities of computer codes and modeling techniques and in which a total of 17 organizations from 12 countries participated. The results obtained by execution of RELAP5/MOD2 on the IBM-3090 computer for upper plenum pressure, core inlet and outlet coolant temperature, and secondary-side pressure differed slightly during the latter part of the transient, but in general compared favorably to the experimental data. The magnitude of the cold-leg mass flow rate was underpredicted by the code.