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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.
Gustavo A. Cragnolino, Darrell S. Dunn, C. Sean Brossia, Yi-Ming Pan, Osvaldo Pensado, Lietai Yang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 148 | Number 2 | November 2004 | Pages 166-173
Technical Paper | High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT04-A3556
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The susceptibility to various forms of corrosion that could be experienced by the alloys considered by the U.S. Department of Energy for the waste package and drip shield, the principal components of the engineered barrier system for the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, is evaluated on the basis of experimental studies conducted at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses. Environmental, metallurgical, and mechanical conditions for the occurrence of uniform corrosion, localized corrosion, and environmentally assisted cracking of Alloy 22 (58Ni-22Cr-13Mo-3W-4Fe), the preferred material for the outer container, and Titanium-Grade 7 (Ti-0.15 Pd), the alloy proposed for the drip shield, are reported.