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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.
Jorge Solís, Maria N. Avramova, Kostadin N. Ivanov
Nuclear Technology | Volume 146 | Number 3 | June 2004 | Pages 267-278
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3505
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A multilevel methodology has been developed to extend the TRAC-BF1/NEM coupled code capability to obtain the transient fuel rod response. The COBRA-TF thermal-hydraulics subchannel analysis code is coupled to TRAC-BF1/NEM in the parallel virtual machine environment. The power information obtained from the nodal expansion method three-dimensional neutronic calculation is used by the hot subchannel analysis module. The TRAC-BF1 thermal-hydraulic system analysis code provides the COBRA-TF thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions. The subchannel analysis module uses this information to recalculate the fluid, thermal, and hydraulics conditions in the most limiting node (axial region of assembly/channel) within the core at each time step. A dynamic algorithm has been developed to identify the most limiting channel and fuel assembly (radially) and axial region (node) based on the current state of the core. Results, obtained with the new parallel multilevel coupled methodology, are presented and discussed for the Mexican Laguna Verde 1 nuclear power plant control rod drop accident.