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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.
S. I. Bhuiyan, Anisur Rashid Khan, M. M. Sarker, M. Rahman, Z. Gulshan Ara, M. Musa, M. A. Mannan, I. Mele
Nuclear Technology | Volume 97 | Number 3 | March 1992 | Pages 253-263
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34633
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A data base for the TRIGAP code is generated for the 3-MW TRIGA MARK-II research reactor in Bangladesh. The library is created using the WIMS-D/4 code. Cross sections are calculated from zero burnup to 37% of initial 235U in 20 burnup steps. The created TRIGAP library is tested through practical calculations and is compared with experimental values or with values in the safety analysis report (SAR). Excess reactivity of the fresh core configuration is measured and determined to be 10.27 $, while a value of 10.267 $ is obtained using the generated library. By choosing burnup steps of 0, 50, 350, and 750 MW.h, the whole operating history is covered. The calculated temperature defect at 1 and 3 MW is 1.15 and 3.59 $ compared with the experimental values of 1.02 and 3.64 $, respectively. The xenon value obtained at 1 and 3 MW is 2.21 and 3.20 $, respectively, compared with 3.57 $ at 3 MW in the SAR. The TRIGAP code with its new library is used for calculating fast and thermal flux distributions close to values from the SAR. The temperature coefficient of low-enrichment uranium fuel, calculated for three different burnups, shows a good agreement with the SAR. The TRIGAP and WIMS-D/4 codes are applied to power-peaking calculations. Total peaking factors calculated as products of axial, radial, and hot rod peaking factors for four configurations are (a) the compact core with graphite reflector, 3.15; (b) the same core with water reflector, 3.39; (c) the core with a central thimble, graphite reflector, 5.01; and (d) the same core with a water reflector, 5.29. In the SAR, the total peaking factor for the compact core is 3.5 and with a central thimble, 5.63. Excellent agreement between calculations and measurements establishes the validity of the library.