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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.
Kiyomi Funabashi, Koichi Chino, Tsutomu Baba, Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Tatsuo Izumida, Toshio Sawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 108 | Number 3 | December 1994 | Pages 370-378
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35019
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A demister using a hydrophobic porous membrane made from polytetrafluoroethylene was developed to improve the decontamination factor (DF) of a waste evaporator. The demister removes the radioactive mist in steam generated from the evaporator. A large-scale membrane module (membrane surface area: 3 m1) for the demister was newly designed, and its steam permeation rate and DF were experimentally examined using steam containing simulated mist (5 wt% Na2SO4 solution). The steam permeation rate decreases due to adhesion of removed mist on the membrane surface, but it is maintained at ∼0.35 of the initial value through falling of the mist from the membrane surface due to the mist particles’ own weight. The DF of the demister, using a membrane having less than a 0.7-μm pore diameter, is >5 × 103. The total DF of the evaporator with the new demister is estimated to be >5 × 107.