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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.
Hans-Werner Wiese
Nuclear Technology | Volume 102 | Number 1 | April 1993 | Pages 68-80
Technical Paper | Mixed-Oxide Fuel / Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34803
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Based on the use of the Joint Evaluated File (JEF-1) with the KARBUS burnup code system and subsequent KORIGEN code calculations, the characteristics of spent pressurized water reactor mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels are analyzed. Actinide masses, decay heat, radioactivities, and radiation are discussed for burnups of 40 to 55 GWd/tonne HM for MOX fuels based on natural uranium and on uranium tailings. Multiple plutonium recycling is considered at a burnup of 50 GWd/tonne HM. The results are compared with earlier data at a burnup of 33 GWd/tonne HM. The high-exposure MOX fuels are found to contain large amounts of the heat-releasing and radiating nuclides, 238Pu and 244Cm. The 238Pu in the plutonium, which is to be used for the fabrication of fuel elements from recycled MOX, requires special shielding or a change from glove box techniques to an automated treatment.
