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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.
Sushil K. Bhatnagar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 120 | Number 3 | December 1997 | Pages 224-230
Technical Paper | Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35413
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Penetration shielding design for primary and secondary shield walls in a nuclear power plant proceeds in several iterative cycles. These cycles are needed to refine the conceptual designs for numerous, often conflicting, requirements. These requirements include the following: worker occupancy, in-service inspections, ventilation, pressure and temperature transient controls, equipment qualification, etc. Because the determination of neutron and gamma radiation levels in the containment building of a nuclear power plant requires a three-dimensional calculation, which is both very complicated and expensive, simplified but conservative procedures are needed to provide that input for various other analyses. Once an optimized design is developed, it can be confirmed by either a full three-dimensional analysis or acceptable combinations of discrete ordinates and Monte Carlo methods. The isotropic analog method and its enhancement are presented to provide such an alternative. Included are the methodology, its justification, confirmation, limitations, and suggestions for additional development. This method has already been used for the shielding design of two nuclear power plants and shown to be conservative by a factor of between 2 and 5.