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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 122-130
Technical Note | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34835
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A best-estimate methodology for analysis of an anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) is applied to the simulation of the passive response to postulated ATWS scenarios of the José Cabrera (Zorita) nuclear power plant (NPP) owned and operated by Union Fenosa, which is the only Westinghouse PWR with a single coolant loop. A justification of the calculation hypotheses is included. The results of the specific studies are evaluated, and the conclusion is that the intrinsic safety margins of the original design of the plant guarantees the integrity of the fuel, primary circuit, and containment, without the need to incorporate an automatic ATWS mitigation system. Finally, a suitable plant-specific prototype emergency operating procedure is designed that is substantially different from the previous Zorita NPP procedure and from the generic procedure applicable to multiloop plants. This procedure is validated by simulating the operator-plant interface by means of a validation matrix including the scenarios presenting the most adverse dynamic modes foreseeable.