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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.
Peter Taylor, Robert J. Lemire, Donald D. Wood
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 2 | November 1993 | Pages 164-170
Technical Paper | Special Issue on Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34880
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Phase relationships among solids in the UO2-O2-H2O system at 25, 100, and 200°C and pressures to 2 MPa have been calculated from critically evaluated thermodynamic data. Stability limits of the solids are expressed in terms of oxygen and water partial pressures at each temperature. The results are then discussed in terms of known UO2 oxidation reactions and uranium mineralogy. Particular attention is paid to “UO3 hydrates, ’’some of which are shown to be stable phases in air at very low relative humidities (down to ∼0.1% at 25°C). This is relevant to fuel storage because of the very high molar volumes of these phases, relative to UO2, and consequent potential for damage to defected fuel assemblies. Comparison of the calculated phase relationships with observed UO2 oxidation behavior helps to identify those phase interconversions that are kinetically constrained.