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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.
Arántzazu Cuadra, José-Luis Gago, Francesc Reventós
Nuclear Technology | Volume 146 | Number 1 | April 2004 | Pages 41-48
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3485
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Culminating in the participation of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations/Nuclear Science Committee pressurized water reactor (PWR) main-steam-line-break (MSLB) benchmark, we present the analysis with RELAP/PARCS of a double-ended MSLB assumed to occur in the Ascó nuclear power plant (NPP). This Spanish NPP, a two-unit 1000-MW(electric) PWR plant of Westinghouse design, has been in normal operation since 1983. The utility uses the RELAP model developed by its analysts to study transients that occurred (or postulated), following its own procedures, giving response to operation-related issues, as well as serving licensing and training purposes. The model is well validated. The present study tests the RELAP/PARCS model of the Asco NPP and, in particular, tests the coupling between the neutronics and the thermal hydraulics; its focus is not licensing or validation.