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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.
Kazuhiro Sawa, Kazuo Minato, Tsutomu Tobita, Kousaka Fukuda
Nuclear Technology | Volume 118 | Number 2 | May 1997 | Pages 123-131
Technical Paper | Nuclear Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35372
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Fractional release of cesium from coated UO2 particles for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) is investigated. Data are measured in an irradiation test that utilizes three kinds of coated particles of artificially failed particles; they are simulating through-coatings failed particles, as-manufactured SiC-failed particles, and intact particles. Through the comparison of measured and calculated fractional releases, a model is revised to accurately evaluate cesium fractional release. The fractional releases of cesium from fuel compacts, which are manufactured by the same method as the high-temperature engineering test reactor fuel and are irradiated in the sweep gas capsule, are also evaluated. The result shows that the revised model can accurately predict measured fractional releases.