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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.
Ming-Shih Lu, Theodor Teichmann
Nuclear Technology | Volume 102 | Number 2 | May 1993 | Pages 196-209
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34817
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The error characteristics of both high-resolution gamma spectroscopy and high-level neutron coincidence (HLNC) measurements, separate or combined, are discussed as they apply to nondestructive analysis of plutonium-bearing materials. Expressions have been derived to estimate the overall variance in the 240Pu effective mass and in the total plutonium mass in terms of the specific contributions from uncertainties in the measurements, the pertinent physical variables (including isotopics and impurities), and the instrumental constants. Experimental data available in the published literature have been used to illustrate the error characteristics of the HLNC and the effects of isotopic error correlations associated with materials having different burnups.
