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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.
Masaru Todoriki, Atsuyuki Suzuki
Nuclear Technology | Volume 120 | Number 1 | October 1997 | Pages 81-85
Technical Note | Enrichment and Reprocessing System | doi.org/10.13182/NT97-A35433
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The laser-induced thermal lens oscillation process, which can be generated in an organic solution by argon-ion laser irradiation is studied to investigate the possibility of its application for monitoring of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) concentration in nuclear fuel reprocessing. The oscillation process is a nonlinear dynamical system whose states depend on three control parameters: laser beam power, depth from solution surface to a laser beam irradiation position, and concentration of solvent, i.e., TBP. From a series of experiments, it is found that a transition between different states is distinctly related to the concentration of TBP solution. From this result, a new on-line monitoring method of solvent concentration is proposed. This method indicates the technique’s potential as a viable on-line analytical instrument in solvent extraction processes of nuclear fuel reprocessing.