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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.
Shunji Homma, Mitsuhiro Takanashi, Jiro Koga, Shiro Matsumoto, Masaki Ozawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 116 | Number 1 | October 1996 | Pages 108-114
Technical Paper | Enrichment and Reprocessing System | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35315
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new approach for evaluating the apparent equilibrium and rate constants for the reaction of Np(V) with nitric acid by using the process data of multistage countercurrent solvent extraction experiments is proposed. The numerical simulation of neptunium extraction in the co-decontamination process of the Purex process is carried out on the assumption of the rate equation. The apparent equilibrium and rate constants are determined by the nonlinear least-squares method with experimental data for multistage countercurrent solvent extraction with a numerical simulation code. The determined apparent equilibrium and rate constants are 1.25 to 1.97 x 10-2 min-1 and 6.04 to 11.5 x 10-4 (ℓ/mol)3/2, respectively. These values are consistent with those obtained in other kinetic studies.