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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.
Truong V. Vo, Patrick G. Heasler, Steven R. Doctor, Frederic A. Simonen, Bryan F. Gore
Nuclear Technology | Volume 96 | Number 3 | December 1991 | Pages 259-271
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT91-A34588
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
As part of the nondestructive evaluation reliability program sponsored by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) developed a risk-based method for establishing inspection priorities for systems and components at nuclear power plants. In this method, the results of probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) are used to estimate the safety consequences of component failures. The method also requires estimates of the probabilities of structural failures. Since sufficient operating experience data and detailed fracture mechanics analyses are not available, an expert judgment elicitation is conducted to estimate component rupture probabilities. (An expert judgment process is generally adapted from the NRC severe accident risk program.) The plant selected for the detailed evaluation is the Surry nuclear power station Unit 1 (Surry-1). Systems selected for analysis are the reactor pressure vessel, the reactor coolant, the low-pressure injection including the accumulators, and the auxiliary feedwater. Additional technical information is gathered regarding the elicited issues. The data appear to be reasonable, and they generally agree with and reflect Surry-1 plant operating experience. Typical areas of concern correspond to such factors as high stresses (e.g., places where mixing of fluids with large temperature differences occurs) and places where erosion or corrosion effects are active. These results will be used by PNL in an ongoing pilot study based on the PRA results and other relevant information in determining the inspection priorities for systems and components at the Surry power plant.