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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.
Jeffrey E. Woollard, Thomas E. Blue, Nilendu Gupta, Reinhard A. Gahbauer
Nuclear Technology | Volume 115 | Number 1 | July 1996 | Pages 100-113
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35279
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Design parameters for an epithermal neutron field for an accelerator-based source of neutrons for boron neutron capture therapy are developed. The parameters that are developed incorporate predicted biological effects in patients’ heads. They are based on an energy-spectrum-dependent neutron normal-tissue relative biological effectiveness and the treatment planning methodology of Gahbauer and his coworkers, which includes the effects of dose fractionation. The neutron field optimization parameters are evaluated for two epithermal neutron fields resulting from an accelerator-based neutron source with two different moderator assemblies. For the two moderator assemblies and moderator thicknesses evaluated, the D2O-Li2CO3 moderator assembly is superior to the BeO-MgO moderator assembly. The absorbed-dose delivered to the tumor for the D2O-Li2CO3 moderator assembly is larger than that for the BeO-MgO moderator assembly for almost all tumor depths. The treatment times for the D2O-Li2CO3 moderator assembly are slightly longer than for the BeO-MgO moderator assembly. However, for a 10-mA proton current, the treatment times for both are reasonable.
