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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.
Robert M. Brugger, Jing-Luen A. Shih, Hungyuan B. Liu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 98 | Number 3 | June 1992 | Pages 322-332
Technical Paper | Radiation Biology and Medicine | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34662
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A facility designed to produce a beam of epithermal neutrons for neutron capture therapy is discussed whereby a moderator of Al2O3 plus aluminum is placed near the core of the 10-MW Missouri University Research Reactor. This moderator shifts the fast neutrons into the epithermal energy range before they exit toward the patient position. This beam replaces the thermal column of the reactor and has a large source area. With the reactor operating at 10 MW, a very intense, yet predominantly epithermal beam of neutrons is produced by this beam, and these neutrons could be very effective for neutron capture therapy.