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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.
Heikki Kantee, Harri Tuomisto, Vesa Yrjölä
Nuclear Technology | Volume 90 | Number 3 | June 1990 | Pages 308-315
Technical Paper | RELAP/MOD2 / Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34396
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The RELAP5/MOD2 computer code has been extensively utilized in calculation of thermal-hydraulic sequences concerning the pressurized thermal shock safety issue in the Loviisa 1 nuclear power plant. The cases analyzed feature stuck-open pressurizer safety valve sequences, small hot-leg breaks, steam line breaks, and, in one case, a primary-secondary leakage. The main purpose of these analyses is to validate and compare the results from the full-scale Loviisa training simulator analyses. The RELAP5 model is made to the detail allowed by the computer. It includes a description of primary and secondary circuits as well as modeling of the emergency core cooling and control systems. Single-phase thermal stratification and mixing are essential phenomena when pressurized thermal shock sequences are analyzed. The capabilities of the large system analysis code to predict these phenomena in the reactor circuit are discussed.