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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.
Kazuo Minato, Hironobu Kikuchi, Kousaku Fukuda, Nobuyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Tomimoto, Nobu Kitamura, Mitsunobu Kaneko
Nuclear Technology | Volume 106 | Number 3 | June 1994 | Pages 342-349
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34964
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Internal flaws in the silicon carbide (SiC) coating of fuel particles have been characterized. The internal flaws of the SiC coating were seen as external discolored spots. The porous flaws formed circumferentially during SiC deposition. These flaws may have a harmful effect on the mechanical integrity and the diffusion barrier of the particle. The SiC coating experiments were performed under systematically selected conditions to study the mechanism of flaw formation. The most important factor influencing flaw formation was found to be the mode of particle fluidization. Internal flaws were eliminated from the particles fabricated in a mass-production coater by controlling particle fluidization.