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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.
Hyun-Jong Paik, Patrick Raymond
Nuclear Technology | Volume 107 | Number 1 | July 1994 | Pages 103-111
Technical Paper | Special on ANP ’92 Conference / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35002
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The steam line break (SLB) accident in pressurized water reactors is characterized by a large asymmetric cooling of the core, asymmetric stuck control rods, and large primary coolant flow variations. Because of these space- and time-dependent neutronic and thermal-hydraulic conditions in the core, former SLB analyses that used simplified core models were usually performed with many conservative assumptions. To clarify the complicated behavior of the core, the three-dimensional neutronic code CRONOS-2, the three-dimensional core thermal-hydraulic code FLICA-4, and the system code FLICA-S are completely coupled. The results obtained from the coupled codes indicate that the local thermal-hydraulic feedback effects are important in mitigating neutronic power excursions during SLBs.
