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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.
Karl Schleisiek, Jürgen Aberle, Siegfried Jacobi, August Rahn, Lothar Schmidt, Gilbert Vanmassenhove, Alfons Verwimp
Nuclear Technology | Volume 99 | Number 3 | September 1992 | Pages 289-300
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34713
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The aim of the MoI-7C in-pile local blockage experiments is to ascertain the consequences of local cooling disturbances in fuel subassemblies of liquid-metal fast breeder reactors. The experiments are carried out in the BR2 reactor at Mol/Belgium within the framework of a joint program of Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe and Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie/Centre d’Etude de VEnergie Nucleaire Mol. The last two experiments, Mol-7C/6 and 7, performed with the support of the Joint Research Centre Ispra in June 1988 and June 1989, respectively, are dealt with. The particular objective of these two tests is to investigate the consequences of local faults at high burnup and of blockages having contact with the subassembly wrapper tube. The test sections, the performance of the tests, and the results obtained are described. A preliminary interpretation is presented.