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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
Y. Bruce Katayama, Langdon K. Holton, Jr., Galen N. Buck, James F. Hutchens, Mark S. Culverhouse
Nuclear Technology | Volume 95 | Number 1 | July 1991 | Pages 44-53
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34566
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A highly contaminated cell in the Pacific Northwest Laboratory’s (PNL) 324 Building Radiochemical Engineering Facilities was recently decontaminated using a series of remote and contact techniques. The approach used in decontaminating the cell was very successful: It resulted in an 87% lower radiation dose to workers and a cost saving of 39% compared with a hands-on procedure used in another cell 2 yr earlier. Eight cycles of remote decontamination, combining use of an alkaline cleaner foam spray and pressurized water rinse, preceded manned entry. Initial radiation readings in cell C, averaging 50 rad/h, were first reduced to <200 mrad/h using remote techniques. Contact decontamination was then permissible using ultrahigh-pressure water at 270 MPa, further reducing the average radiation level in the cell to <86 mrem/h. The radiation dose and the costs to achieve a 244-fold reduction in radiation contamination were 17.8 mrem/m2 and $1033/m2 of cell surface area. This work is part of a larger effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Surplus Facilities Management Program to clean out six radioactive cells and to dismantle PNL’s pilot-scale radioactive liquidfed ceramic melter. In this program, numerous other advanced techniques are being developed and are proving valuable, particularly in lowering radiation doses.