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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.
Seungmin Oh, Shripad T. Revankar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 152 | Number 1 | October 2005 | Pages 71-86
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3661
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental study is performed to investigate the effect of noncondensable gas in a passive condenser system. A vertical condenser tube is submerged in a water pool where the heat transferred from the condenser tube is removed through boiling. Data are obtained for three operational modes of the passive condenser. Degradation of the condensation with noncondensable gas is investigated. The condensation heat transfer rate is enhanced by increasing the inlet steam flow rate and the system pressure. For the condenser submerged in a saturated water pool, strong primary pressure dependency is observed. A boundary layer-based condensation model and a simple condensation model with the interfacial friction factor correlation are developed. The model predictions are compared with the pure steam data, and the agreement is satisfactory.