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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.
F. Oriolo, W. Ambrosini, G. Fruttuoso, F. Parozzi, R. Fontana
Nuclear Technology | Volume 112 | Number 2 | November 1995 | Pages 238-249
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT95-A35177
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The evaluation of radionuclide transport within a nuclear reactor plant and then to the external environment after an accident that involves severe damage to the fuel rods requires an appropriate evaluation of the thermal-hydraulic conditions that influence both the chemical equilibria among the involved species and the radionuclide retention phenomena. The ENEL Code for the Analysis of Radionuclide Transport (ECART) computer program has been developed for the purpose of unifying reactor coolant and containment system analysis and represents the current state of the art of light water reactor severe accident aerosol codes. New aerosol transport models, like physical resuspension and transport under two-phase flow within the reactor coolant system, are included. The code comprises three modules that deal with aerosol transport, chemical equilibria, and thermal hydraulics, respectively. The recently developed thermal-hydraulic module has been applied to the analysis of transients typically addressed by the code to obtain first indications about the adequacy of the adopted models and about the need for further improvements. A thorough assessment is now needed to achieve confidence in the modeling capabilities of the module. The three modules are presently coupled in the integrated ECART code. The obtained code will be further assessed by application to relevant severe accident scenarios.