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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.
Venceslav Kostadinov
Nuclear Technology | Volume 114 | Number 1 | April 1996 | Pages 12-22
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35220
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Results are given of independent research of core thermal design limits for the Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško (NEK) nuclear power plant; procedures for two-loop pressurized water reactor plant core design safety limit calculation are used. Emphasis is placed on researching the vessel exit boiling and the hot-channel exit quality limits and their impact on the maximum available design safety operating range and thermal operating margin of the NEK reactor core. For this purpose, the LIMITS computer code is developed. Based on the modified, well-tried COBRA-IV-I computer code, the departure of nuclear boiling ratio core safety limits are calculated. The original results complement well those of the NEK Final Safety Analysis Report. The procedures and the methods for determining the reactor core design thermal limits are successfully proven despite the unavailability of proprietary data, different models, and computer codes. In addition to the acquired capability of in-house independent checking of the vendor’s results, the bases are set for further independent analyses of the limiting safety system settings for the NEK core.