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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.
Christoph Homann, Maurizio Bottoni, Burkhardt Dorr, Dankward Struwe
Nuclear Technology | Volume 91 | Number 3 | September 1990 | Pages 275-286
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34452
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The computer code BACCHUS has been developed for thermal-hydraulic calculations of coolant flows in reactor geometries with hexagonal pin arrangements. It has been used in its two-dimensional single-phase version for the interpretation of the first three experiments of the in-pile series Mol 7C in a sodium-cooled 37-pin bundle. The modeling of experimental details is described. Results for the coolant flow and temperature distributions in the blocked region are presented for selected Mol 7C cases for steady-state and transient conditions up to boiling inception. The extrapolation of the results to reactor conditions is done in several steps. First, the features that are specific for the Mol 7C experiments are removed, and then the bundle is enlarged to a size typical for reactors.