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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.
Kari Rasilainen, Juhani Suksi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 120 | Number 3 | December 1997 | Pages 254-260
Technical Note | Radioisotopes and Isotope | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35416
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The sensitivity of the dating of long-term uranium attachment to bedrock fractures was studied using radioactive dis-equilibria in the natural 238U decay chain. For this purpose, fracture coating samples were taken from the uranium deposit at Palmottu, Finland. A general simulation model was derived for the evolution of the 234U/238U and 230Th/234U disequilibria. Instantaneous, continuous, and multistage uranium accumulation modes were tested to see their effect on the model age. All accumulations produced different, but internally consistent, model ages, except the multistage scenario that yielded a nonunique dating. The simulation model and scenario technique provide a good modeling approach, and the real challenge in uranium-series dating appears to be the quantification of the accumulation rates.