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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.
Yoshiyuki Inagaki, Hirofumi Ohashi, Yoshitomo Inaba, Hiroyuki Sato, Tetsuo Nishihara, Tetsuaki Takeda, Koji Hayashi, Masuro Ogawa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 157 | Number 2 | February 2007 | Pages 111-119
Technical Paper | Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3806
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has been promoting research and development on the hydrogen production technology with a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), with a view to contributing to the global warming issue and hydrogen energy society in the near future. The system integration technology for connection of the hydrogen production system to the HTGR is one of the key technologies to put hydrogen production with nuclear energy to commercial use. Research and development on the system integration technology has been carried out for four items: control technology to maintain reactor operation against thermal disturbance caused by the hydrogen production system, estimation of the tritium permeation into the hydrogen from the reactor, a countermeasure against explosion, and development of a high-temperature valve to isolate the reactor and hydrogen production systems in accidents. This report describes the research activities on the system integration technology at JAEA.