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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.
C. D. Fletcher, L. S. Ghan, J. C. Determan, H. H. Nielsen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 106 | Number 1 | April 1994 | Pages 31-45
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34948
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A system model of the Advanced Neutron Source Reactor (ANSR) has been developed and used to perform conceptual safety analyses. To better represent thermal-hydraulic behavior in the unique geometry and conditions of the ANSR core, three specific changes in the RELAP5/MOD3 computer code were implemented: a turbulent forced-convection heat transfer correlation, a critical heat flux correlation, and an interfacial drag correlation. The system model includes representations of the ANSR core, heat exchanger coolant loops, and the pressurizing and letdown systems. Analyses of ANSR station blackout and loss-of-flow accident scenarios are described. The results show that the core can survive without exceeding the flow excursion or critical heat flux thermal limits defined for the conceptual safety analysis, if the proper mitigation options are provided.