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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.
Bassam I. Shamoun, Michael L. Corradini
Nuclear Technology | Volume 120 | Number 2 | November 1997 | Pages 158-170
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35424
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thermal interaction of certain molten materials such as Al2O3 with water results in vapor explosions with very high (supercritical) pressures and propagation velocities. A quasi-steady-state analysis and a transient analysis of a supercritical vapor explosion in one-dimensional multiphase flow were applied to analyze experimental data of an Al2O3-water fuel/coolant interaction obtained from the KROTOS 26, 28, 29, and 30 tests. The shock adiabatic thermodynamic model and the TEXAS mechanistic model were used to perform this analysis. The predicted results of the initial vapor void fraction and explosion conversion ratio from both models, together with the estimated experimental results, for the KROTOS 26 test were compared.