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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.
Ari Auvinen, Riitta Zilliacus, Jorma Jokiniemi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 149 | Number 2 | February 2005 | Pages 232-241
Technical Paper | Radioisotopes | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3592
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Pyrolytic dehydrochlorination of the electrical cable insulation Hypalon was studied as a function of time and temperature. The chlorine evolution was determined separately by means of on-line activity measurements and by neutron activation analysis in the temperature range 200°C to 300°C, with one test conducted at 500°C. The object of the research was to determine the chlorine release and the chlorine release fraction as a function of temperature. The data obtained were needed to formulate conclusions regarding the release mechanisms of chlorine. Estimates of the amount of hydrochloric acid released to the containment building in a severe reactor accident were also calculated. It can be concluded that the amount of chlorine release from the Hypalon cable is significant and will have an effect on iodine behavior in a severe accident.