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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.
Constantinos Syros,* Claudio Ronchi, Cinzia Spanó
Nuclear Technology | Volume 94 | Number 2 | May 1991 | Pages 213-227
Technical Paper | Advances in Reactor Accident Consequence Assessment / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34543
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A semianalytical nonlinear model is described for the calculation of the burst release and release rate of volatile fission product (VFP) from a fuel pellet under steady-state and transient reactor conditions as well as the radial density distribution in the open porosity. The density of the VFP in the porosity channels is assumed to be c(r, t) = φ(r)exp[—LT(r)ω(t)] + Λ-1(t), where L is an analytical function of parameters characterizing the physics and the geometry of the pellet; φ(r) rigorously satisfies the required boundary conditions; and ω(t), the solution of a highly nonlinear differential equation, is a time function (“kinetic time”) that represents the evolution of the density profile. The constant Λ is suitably calculated with the zeroes of the Bessel function Jo(x). The density c(r, t) of the VFP in the open porosity of the pellet is used to find the pressure p(r, t) in the open pores. The integration procedure of the transport equation for different initial and boundary conditions is described. Calculation experiments are presented and discussed.