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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. W. Wang, B. S. Pei, W. K. Lin
Nuclear Technology | Volume 95 | Number 1 | July 1991 | Pages 87-94
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34570
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Methods using the signals detected by a single void fraction sensor to identify four kinds of typical vertical, cocurrent, upward, two-phase tube flow patterns are investigated. By analyzing 100 sets of time-varying void fraction signals acquired from an impedance device in an air-water two-phase loop, the results of the various methods are evaluated and demonstrated. With the high-frequency contribution fraction (HFCF) criteria, the success rate is 81%. An auxiliary criterion (the void fraction criterion) is proposed to increase the success rate to 92%. The results and the criteria from this study are compared with earlier studies. From the comparison, the applicability of the HFCF criterion to a system in which void fraction can be measured directly is verified.