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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.
Emmanuel Smailos
Nuclear Technology | Volume 104 | Number 3 | December 1993 | Pages 343-350
Technical Paper | Special Issue on Waste Management / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT93-A34895
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Previous corrosion studies identified the materials Hastelloy C4, Ti 99.8-Pd, and carbon steels as promising for the manufacture of long-lived high-level waste containers that could act as an engineered barrier in a rock-salt repository. Here, the efficiency of the corrosion-resistant concept using surface-welded Hastelloy C4 as corrosion protection of carbon steel containers is compared with the corrosion-allowance concept using unalloyed or low-alloyed steels. The materials are examined in three disposal relevant brines (two rich in MgCl2, one rich in NaCl) at 150°C. The results indicate that welded Hastelloy C4 is highly resistant to corrosion in the NaCl-rich brine. In the presence of sulfides or MgCl2-rich brines, however, severe pitting corrosion occurs. The three steels investigated are resistant to pitting corrosion in all brines, and their general corrosion rates imply corrosion allowances acceptable for thick-walled containers. In view of these results, carbon steels continue to be considered promising materials for long-lived containers. Further investigations on carbon steels and Ti 99.8-Pd as alternatives to Hastelloy C4 are in progress.