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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.
Fumio Kasahara, Hiroshi Endo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 99 | Number 3 | September 1992 | Pages 301-308
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34714
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A simple analytical code, QUASAR, has been developed to analyze the phenomena related to severe subassembly accidents, such as a total instantaneous blockage event for a subassembly inlet. The code models failed and neighboring subassemblies, focusing mainly on the thermal consequences and the propagation potential of the accidents. The prediction has been successful for the initial stages of the accidents, according to a comparison with experimental results, and useful information about accident event sequences has been obtained by the analyses for typical liquid-metal fast reeder reactors.