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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.
Yi-Kang Lee, Emeric Brun, Xavier Alexandre
Nuclear Technology | Volume 191 | Number 3 | September 2015 | Pages 234-245
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT14-85
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To support the development of Sodium-cooled Fast Reactors (SFRs) of Generation IV nuclear energy systems and to study the use of the TRIPOLI-4® Monte Carlo code and the JEFF-3.1.1 nuclear data library on the core neutronics of large fast neutron reactors, in this work two recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) computational benchmarks of two 3600-MW(thermal) SFRs were analyzed with the continuous-energy TRIPOLI-4 code. Both a mixed oxide [(U,Pu)O2] core and a carbide [(U,Pu)C] core were investigated. Under two different fast neutron spectra, the reactor physics parameters—Keff, βeff (effective delayed neutron fraction), sodium void worth, Doppler constant, control rod worth, and core power distribution—were calculated for the beginning of equilibrium cycle condition. Both the pin-by-pin heterogeneous and fuel assembly–level homogeneous calculation models were applied in the whole-core simulation in order to evaluate their impact on the calculation results of SFR reactor physics parameters. The ENDF/B-VII.0 data library from the evaluation was also used with TRIPOLI-4 to study its impact on the SFR core reactivity and the boron carbide control rod worth. Using the mesh tally option, the energy deposition tally, and the upgraded display tool of TRIPOLI-4, radial power distribution and core power maps of the two cores were calculated and compared.