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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.
Leonardo Romero, Luis Moreno, Ivars Neretnieks
Nuclear Technology | Volume 113 | Number 3 | March 1996 | Pages 316-326
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35211
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Radionuclides leaking from a damaged canister spread into the clay surrounding the canister and then migrate through various pathways into the mobile water in the rock fractures. To quantify uncertainties regarding the release to the far field, a sensitivity analysis is performed for variations in the parameters governing the release. Variations in the size of the damage in the canister, uranium solubility, sorption capacity of the clay, and hydraulic properties of the fractured rock nearest to the canister have to be accurately determined in order to minimize uncertainties in the release.