ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
M. E. Dunn, B. Basoglu, C. L. Bentley, C. Haught, M. J. Plaster, A. D. Wilkinson, T. Yamamoto, H. L. Dodds
Nuclear Technology | Volume 111 | Number 2 | August 1995 | Pages 183-196
Technical Paper | Nuclear Criticality Safety Special / Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35129
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The multigroup Monte Carlo code KENO V.a and the 238- and 44-energy-group ENDF/B-V cross-section libraries were validated for 233U systems. Fifty-one critical experiments involving 233UO2(NO3)2, 233UO2F2, or 233U metal were selected for the validation. The H/233U ratios for the experiments range from 0 to 1986. Each experiment was modeled with KENO V.a, and the effective multiplication factor keff was calculated for each system using the 44- and 238-group ENDF/B-V, the 27- and 218-group ENDF/B-IV, and the 16-group Hansen-Roach cross-section libraries. The mean calculated keff for all experiments using the 44- and 238-group libraries is 1.0090 ± 0.0021 and 1.0064 ± 0.0020, respectively. For comparison, the mean calculated keff using the 27-, 218-, and 16-group libraries is 1.0142 ± 0.0038, 1.0125 ± 0.0038, and 0.9991 ± 0.0019, respectively. In general, an improvement exists in the agreement between the calculated keff’s and the experimental results (i.e., keff= 1.0) obtained with the newer ENDF/B-V libraries relative to ENDF/B-IV.
