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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.
Yong-Qian Shi, Qing-Fu Zhu, He Tao
Nuclear Technology | Volume 149 | Number 1 | January 2005 | Pages 122-127
Technical Note | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-2
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The paper first briefly reviews the neutron source multiplication method and then presents an experimental study that shows that the parameter measured by the neutron source multiplication method actually is a subcritical effective neutron multiplication factor ks with an external neutron source, not the effective neutron multiplication factor keff. The parameters ks and keff have been researched for a nuclear critical safety experiment assembly using a uranium solution. The parameter ks was measured by the source multiplication method, while the parameter keff was measured by the power-raising period method. The relationship between keff and ks is discussed and their effects on nuclear safety are mentioned.
