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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.
Theo G. Theofanous, Hongfei Yan, Farouk Eltawila
Nuclear Technology | Volume 101 | Number 3 | March 1993 | Pages 299-331
Technical Paper | Severe Accident Technology / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34792
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An integrated analysis of Mark-I liner attack in a postulated core-melt accident is presented. The approach consists of the mechanistic treatment of the sequence of physical phenomena that lead to liner contact by corium debris and their coupling through a probabilistic framework that allows representation of uncertainties. A physically consistent treatment in each sequence is emphasized, but qualitatively different scenarios to represent the range of behavior due to model uncertainties are allowed. The results are presented in a format that allows their direct use in probabilistic risk assessments; in particular, expert opinion is incorporated by a new methodological approach that involves expert review of, and comment on, a fully documented study all under one cover. The study itself is presented in three parts here; the expert inputs can be found in NUREG/CR-5423.