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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.
Dong H. Nguyen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 106 | Number 3 | June 1994 | Pages 360-372
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34966
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Tritium gas, normally in sealed containers, will be present in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) facilities conducting fusion energy research. A probability of tritium release, however small, exists in these facilities. Once released, tritium can back-diffuse against ventilation flow to contaminate other areas of the facility. Tritium can also be released to the environment by exhaust blowers. The problem of back-diffusion of tritium released in a typical DOE facility was examined as a function of flow rates of the ventilation system. The source term (release to the environment) in the emergency ventilation flow was also calculated. The consequences to personnel in the release room and in an adjacent corridor due to back-diffusion were determined. It was shown that for credible release scenarios, the consequences in the adjacent corridor from tritium back-diffusion were negligible. Higher doses in the release room can be avoided by well-planned emergency evacuation procedures. The source term was calculated, but the on- and off-site consequences were not determined.