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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.
Jae Seung Song, Nam Zin Cho
Nuclear Technology | Volume 119 | Number 2 | August 1997 | Pages 105-111
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35379
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An axial xenon oscillation model is developed for pressurized water reactor analysis. The model employs an equation system for axial difference parameters that is derived from xenon and iodine balance equations coupled with two-group, one-dimensional neutron diffusion equations. To treat nonlinear xenon-flux-coupled terms, the spatial distributions of xenon, iodine, and flux are expanded by the Fourier sine series. The equation with respect to the axial difference parameters can be analytically solved with the initial condition related to axial power difference, which can be measured in the reactor. The axial power difference variation during xenon oscillation is directly obtained, and it provides a prediction of xenon oscillation behavior. The accuracy of the model is verified by benchmark calculations with a three-dimensional reference core calculation code and measured data from a core startup test at Yonggwang Unit 3.