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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.
Tatsuo Iyoku, Yoshiyuki Inagaki, Shusaku Shiozawa, Isoharu Nishiguchi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 99 | Number 2 | August 1992 | Pages 158-168
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34686
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The High-Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR) is a 30-MW(thermal) helium gas-cooled reactor with a core composed of prismatic graphite blocks piled on core support structures. Safety analyses have been made for the seismic design of the HTTR core using a two-dimensional seismic analysis code called SONATINA-2V, which was developed by the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. To evaluate the validity of the SONATINA-2V code and confirm the structural integrity of the core graphite blocks, large-scale seismic tests are conducted using a half-scale vertical section model and a full-scale seven-column model of the core graphite blocks and the core support structures. The test results are in good agreement with the analytical ones, and the validity of the analysis code is confirmed. The structural integrity of the core graphite blocks is confirmed by both analytical and test results.