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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.
Volnei Borges, Marco Túllio De Vilhena
Nuclear Technology | Volume 111 | Number 2 | August 1995 | Pages 251-259
Technical Paper | Nuclear Criticality Safety Special / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35134
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Recent advances in the study of a fluidized-bed nuclear reactor’s stability, due to short and long time transients, are discussed. The point-kinetic model, which considers flux variation in the axial direction, is applied to study short time transients, and the theory of bifurcation is used for long time transients. Numerical results are presented for both transients. The preliminary results indicate that this concept of a nuclear reactor has a behavior similar to that of a conventional reactor regarding its dynamic stability.