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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.
Akihiro Ishimi, Kozo Katsuyama, Hirofumi Nakamura, Takeo Asaga, Hirotaka Furuya
Nuclear Technology | Volume 189 | Number 3 | March 2015 | Pages 312-317
Technical Paper | Materials for Nuclear Systems | doi.org/10.13182/NT14-34
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) technique was developed that made it possible to obtain fine X-ray CT images of an irradiated fuel assembly. In addition, the density distributions in an irradiated mixed oxide fuel pellet could be continually measured using the relationship between the densities and the CT values. These results were compared to the results obtained by the metallographic method. It was found that the relative change of radial density distributions in the irradiated fuel pellet can be measured more accurately by the X-ray CT technique than by metallographic examination.