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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.
Ataul Bariand, Jin Jiang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 187 | Number 1 | July 2014 | Pages 82-95
Technical Paper | Nuclear Plant Operations and Control | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-1
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Applications of wireless technologies in nuclear power plants (NPPs), in particular for monitoring purposes, have been gaining popularity recently. It has been shown that wireless technologies can offer several advantages over wired solutions. However, many challenges need to be overcome before widespread adoption of wireless systems in nuclear industries. This paper has extended the existing work in this area and has developed a systematic procedure to deploy a wireless sensor network within a NPP containment. The developed scheme deals with the following challenges explicitly: (a) restrictions on the peak transmission power of the wireless sensor modules, (b) workaround of large concrete and metal structures, and (c) avoidance of locations with high radiation levels. Starting from the sensor locations dictated by the variables to be measured, the scheme determines the positions of the wireless relaying modules in a three-dimensional containment space to ensure reliable data communication. The results from case studies under realistic NPP containment conditions demonstrate the practical value of the proposed solution.