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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.
Gary R. Smolen, Raymond C. Lloyd, Hideyuki Funabashi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 107 | Number 3 | September 1994 | Pages 304-325
Technical Paper | Nuclear Criticality Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35010
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A series of critical experiments was performed with mixed plutonium-uranium nitrate solutions in two cylinders and in a variable thickness slab tank. The solution concentrations ranged from 12 to 174 g Pu/ℓ with Pu/Pu+U ratios of 0.5, 0.4, and 0.2. The criticality data were used to validate two versions of the SCALE computer code system (SCALE-4 and SCALE-2). Calculations were performed with the 27-energy-group cross-section library, derived from the Evaluated Nuclear Data File B-Version IV. The average calculated keff for all geometries (39 experiments) is 1.006 (σ = 0.006), calculated with SCALE-4, and 1.004 (σ = 0.007), calculated with SCALE-2. Overall, the range of calculated keff varied from 0.989 to 1.019. These experiments covered a wide range of parameters, with variations in physical, chemical, and neutronic parameters.