ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Si Y. Lee, L. Larry Hamm, Frank G. Smith III
Nuclear Technology | Volume 190 | Number 3 | June 2015 | Pages 254-263
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT14-86
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It has been proposed to build an accelerator for the production of tritium. A transient natural convection model of the accelerator blanket primary heat removal (HR) system was developed to demonstrate that the blanket could be cooled for a sufficient period of time for long-term cooling to be established following a loss-of-flow accident (LOFA). The particular case of interest in this work is a complete LOFA. For the accident scenario in which pumps are lost in both the target and blanket HR systems, natural convection provides effective cooling of the blanket for ∼68 h, and if only the blanket HR systems are involved, natural convection is effective for ∼210 h. The heat sink for both of these accident scenarios is the assumed stagnant fluid and metal on the secondary sides of the heat exchangers.