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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.
Byung S. Lee, William A. Jester, Joseph M. Olynyk
Nuclear Technology | Volume 97 | Number 1 | January 1992 | Pages 63-70
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34626
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An on-line radioiodine monitoring system designed to operate under nuclear accident conditions is tested at the hot cell laboratory of a radiopharmaceutical production facility. The purpose of the work is to demonstrate that the patented Pennsylvania State University radioiodine monitor, using stabilized NaI(Tl + 241Am) detectors, can generate information about concentration of airborne radioiodine in real time. In the test of continuous iodine monitoring, the real-time 132I activities agree with those obtained by a high-purity germanium detector within a factor of ∼4. From the simultaneous operation of two monitors, one at the inlet and one at the outlet of the hot cell filter bank, the hot cell filter bank efficiency for the removal of airborne radioiodine is estimated to be at least 99.88%.
