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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.
Christophe R. Schneidesch, Jinzhao Zhang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 146 | Number 1 | April 2004 | Pages 1-14
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3482
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The RELAP5 best-estimate thermal-hydraulic system code has been coupled with the PANTHER three-dimensional neutron kinetics code via the TALINK dynamic data exchange control and processing tool. The coupled RELAP5/PANTHER code package has been qualified and will be used at Tractebel Engineering (TE) for analyzing asymmetric pressurized water reactor (PWR) accidents with strong core-system interactions. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission PWR main-steam-line-break benchmark problem was analyzed as part of the qualification efforts to demonstrate the capability of the coupled code package of simulating such transients. This paper reports the main results of TE's contribution to the benchmark Exercise 3.