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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.
A. Patra, S. Saha Ray
Nuclear Technology | Volume 189 | Number 1 | January 2015 | Pages 103-109
Technical Note | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT13-148
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This technical note introduces a numerical procedure that is efficient for calculating the solution for the fractional order nonlinear neutron point-kinetics equation in nuclear reactor dynamics. The explicit finite difference method (EFDM) is applied to solve the fractional order nonlinear neutron point-kinetics equation with Newtonian temperature feedback reactivity. This nonlinear neutron point-kinetics model has been analyzed in the presence of temperature feedback reactivity. The numerical solution obtained by EFDM is an approximate solution that is based on neutron density, precursor concentrations of multigroup delayed neutrons, and the reactivity function. The method is investigated using experimental data, with given initial conditions along with Newtonian temperature feedback reactivity. From the computational results, it can be shown that this numerical approximation method is straightforward and effective for solving fractional order nonlinear neutron point-kinetics equations. Numerical results citing the behavior of neutron density for different types of fractional order are presented graphically.