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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.
Mansoor Siddique, Michael W. Golay, Mujid S. Kazimi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 106 | Number 2 | May 1994 | Pages 202-215
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34976
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analytical study was conducted to characterize the local condensation heat transfer coefficient of a vapor in the presence of a noncondensable gas, where the gas mixture is flowing downward inside a vertical tube. The two-phase heat transfer was analyzed using an annular flow pattern with a liquid film at the tube wall and a turbulent gas/vapor core. The liquid phase heat transfer was modeled as heat conduction across a falling film. The gas/vapor core was modeled using the analogy between heat and mass transfer. Emphasis was placed on including the effects of developing flow, condensate film roughness, and property variation in the gas phase. The predictions of the model were compared to the experimentally obtained data and reasonably good agreement was found. The results obtained show that for the same mass fraction of noncondensable gas, compared with air, hydrogen and helium have a more inhibiting effect on the heat transfer in that order, but for the same molar ratio, (a) air was found to be more inhibiting, and (b) the heat transfer characteristics of hydrogen/steam and helium/steam mixtures are nearly identical. The results also show that the effects of developing flow are negligible when the inlet flow is at high turbulent Reynolds numbers (Re > 10000). Also, the results show that the film roughness effects are negligible for gas mixtures with low Schmidt numbers (Sc <1.0).