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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.
Luis Rebollo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 103 | Number 1 | July 1993 | Pages 49-65
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34829
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Union Fenosa, a utility company in Spain, has performed research on pressurized water reactor (PWR) safety with respect to the development of a best-estimate methodology for the analysis of anticipated transients without scram (ATWS), i.e., those anticipated transients for which failure of the reactor protection system is postulated. A scientific and technical approach is adopted with respect to the ATWS phenomenon as it affects a PWR, specifically the Zorita nuclear power plant, a single-loop Westinghouse-designed PWR in Spain. In this respect, an ATWS sequence analysis methodology based on published codes that is generically applicable to any PWR is proposed, which covers all the anticipated phenomena and defines the applicable acceptance criteria. The areas contemplated are cell neutron analysis, core thermal hydraulics, and plant dynamics, which are developed, qualified, and validated by comparison with reference calculations and measurements obtained from integral or separate-effects tests.