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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.
Masayoshi Akutsu, Yoshinobu Okabe, Kazuziro Satoh, Hideki Kamide, Kenji Hayashi, Nobuyuki Naohara, Kengo Iwashige, Yoji Shibata
Nuclear Technology | Volume 98 | Number 1 | April 1992 | Pages 14-26
Technical Paper | Fast Reactor Safety / Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34647
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thermal-hydraulic characteristics of a pooltype fast breeder reactor during decay heat removal are studied experimentally with a one-eighth-scaled threedimensional reactor model using water as the working fluid. The model is designed to simulate reactor operations from full power to scram transient and decay heat removal conditions as well as two types of decay heat removal systems, a direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS) and a primary reactor auxiliary cooling system (PRACS). The transient thermal-hydraulic performance of the DRACS is compared with that of the PRACS for the water test results. The results are used to evaluate the accuracy of the multidimensional analysis codes AQUA and THER VIS. The analytical results are generally in good agreement with the measurements.
