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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.
Robert Kozma, Masaharu Kitamura, J. Eduard Hoogenboom
Nuclear Technology | Volume 118 | Number 3 | June 1997 | Pages 242-253
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35365
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The binomial theory of void fraction fluctuations is applied to the interpretation of neutron detector signals generated by density fluctuations of the coolant in nuclear reactors. Experiments are performed at the experimental setup for noise investigations on boiling effects (NIOBE) with the injection of nitrogen bubbles into a narrow coolant channel. NIOBE is a thermal-hydraulic loop located in the Higher Educational Reactor (Hoger Onderwijs Reactor) of the Interfaculty Reactor Institute, Delft, The Netherlands. The monitored two-phase-flow parameters include the size of bubbles and the density of bubble populations within the field of view of the neutron detectors, as well as local void fraction. Based on the experiments, a quantitative relationship is established between the parameters of two-phase flows and the measured neutron noise intensity. The validity of the results is not restricted to research reactor applications, and the conclusions can be used to monitor two-phase-flow coolant in power reactors as well.