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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.
Stojan Petelin, Borut Mavko, Oton Gortnar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 102 | Number 1 | April 1993 | Pages 116-124
Technical Paper | Mixed-Oxide Fuel / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34807
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A split reactor vessel model for the RELAP5/MOD2 computer code is developed in an attempt to realize more realistic predictions of asymmetrical transients in a two-loop nuclear power plant. Based on this split reactor model, coolant mixing processes within the reactor vessel are examined. This study evaluates the model improvements in terms of thermal-hydraulic simulations of the reactor core inlet fluid condition and the consequent core behavior. Furthermore, the split reactor vessel model is introduced into an integral RELAP5/MOD2 power plant model, and a steamline break analysis is performed to determine the influence of the boron concentration in the boron injection tank on accident consequences.