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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.
Te-Chuan Wang, Shih-Jen Wang, Jyh-Tong Teng
Nuclear Technology | Volume 152 | Number 3 | December 2005 | Pages 253-265
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT05-A3674
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Chinshan nuclear power plant (NPP) is a Mark-I boiling water reactor (BWR) NPP located in northern Taiwan. The Chinshan NPP severe accident management guidelines (SAMGs) were developed based on the BWR Owners Group Emergency Procedure Guidelines/Severe Accident Guidelines and were developed at the end of 2003. The MAAP4 code has been used as a tool to validate the SAMG strategies. The development process and characteristics of the Chinshan SAMGs are described. The T5UtXC sequence, the highest core damage frequency in the probabilistic risk assessment insight of the Chinshan NPP, is cited as a reference case for SAMG validation. Not all safety injection systems are operated in the T5UtXC sequence. The severe accident progression is simulated, and the entry condition of the SAMGs is described. Then, the T5UtXC sequence is simulated with reactor pressure vessel (RPV) depressurization. Mitigation actions based on the Chinshan NPP SAMGs are then applied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SAMGs. Sensitivity studies on RPV depressurization with the reactor water level and minimum RPV injection flow rate are also investigated in this study. Based on MAAP4 calculation and the default values of the parameters calculating the severe accident phenomena, the result shows that RPV depressurization before the reactor water level reaches one-fourth of the core water level can prevent the core from damage in the T5UtXC sequence. The flow rate of two control rod drive pumps is enough to maintain the reactor water level above the top of active fuel and cool down the core in the T5UtXC sequence without operator action.
