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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.
Dirk Gombert II
Nuclear Technology | Volume 108 | Number 1 | October 1994 | Pages 90-99
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A35045
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A soil sample from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory was physically and chemically characterized, then sequentially extracted to determine if soil washing could be effectively used to remove cesium, cobalt, and chromium. The contaminant distribution did not correlate with surface area or any particular crystalline phase. However, the transition metals did appear to be coincident with the matrix transition metals, iron and manganese. This finding was verified by sequential-extraction data, which showed that most of the cobalt and chromium was extracted by destroying the soil hydrated metal-oxide phases. Unfortunately, <20% of the cesium was extractable even after dissolving >20% of the soil mass. The low recovery of cesium, the primary risk-driver, eliminated extractive soil washing from further consideration for this site.