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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.
Keehoon Kim, Eric B. Bartlett
Nuclear Technology | Volume 108 | Number 2 | November 1994 | Pages 283-297
Technical Paper | Reactor Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35035
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The objective of this research is to develop a fault-diagnostic advisor for nuclear power plant transients that is based on artificial neural networks. A method is described that provides an error bound and therefore a figure of merit for the diagnosis provided by this advisor. The data used in the development of the advisor contain ten simulated anomalies for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Generating Station. The stacked generalization approach is used with two different partitioning schemes. The results of these partitioning schemes are compared. It is shown that the advisor is capable of recognizing all ten anomalies while providing estimated error bounds on each of its diagnoses.