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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.
Imtiaz K. Madni, Erik G. Cazzoli, Mohsen Khatib-Rahbar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 90 | Number 1 | April 1990 | Pages 63-77
Technical Paper | Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34386
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simplified approach has been developed to calculate uncertainties in early off-site consequences from nuclear reactor accidents. The consequence model (SMART) is based on a solution procedure that uses simplified meteorology and involves direct analytic integration of air concentration equations over time and position. This is different from the discretization approach currently used in the CRAC2 and MACCS codes. The SMART code is fast running, thereby providing a valuable tool for sensitivity and uncertainty studies. The code was benchmarked against both MACCS version 1.4 and CRAC2. Results of benchmarking and detailed sensitivity and uncertainty analyses using SMART are presented.
