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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.
Gung-Huei Chou, Jin-Yeh Hsu, Houng-June Chao
Nuclear Technology | Volume 113 | Number 2 | February 1996 | Pages 232-241
Technical Paper | Reactor Operation | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35191
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An on-line computerized system for balance-of-plant performance monitoring and analysis has been developed at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research. This system was developed on an IBM PC/AT and implemented at Taiwan Power Company’s Chinshan nuclear power station. Test data acquisition and processing, as well as on-line performance monitoring and analysis, are the major functions of the system. The whole system is actuated on an integrated, menu-driven environment presented in either a Chinese or an English mode. It can carry out turbine cycle performance monitoring and analysis during normal operation. It yields cost-benefit analysis results of component degradation after finding out the thermal deficiency or lost power generation problems.