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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.
Bhagi Purna Chandra Rao, Mandayam Tondanur Shyamsunder, Dipak Kumar Bhattacharya, Baldev Raj
Nuclear Technology | Volume 90 | Number 3 | June 1990 | Pages 389-393
Technical Paper | RELAP/MOD2 / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34402
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
One of the major safety concerns about pressurized heavy water reactors is the assurance requirement that the circular garter springs that surround pressure tubes remain at their specified locations. The eddy-current nondestructive method gives a timely warning when a significant displacement of garter springs occurs. The finite element method is used extensively to model eddy-current phenomena. Since a garter spring is an axisymmetric discontinuity, a two-dimensional finite element method is used to optimize eddy-current probe design parameters for the above application.
