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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.
Mária Chromčíková, Jana Vokelová, Jaroslava Michálková, Marek Liška, Jan Macháček, Ondrej Gedeon, Vojtech Soltész
Nuclear Technology | Volume 193 | Number 2 | February 2016 | Pages 297-305
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT15-22
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The chemical durability of gamma-irradiated glass fibrous insulation commonly used in the reactor containment of nuclear power plants was tested by static leaching tests at 90°C. Distilled water and borate coolant solution were used as corrosive media. Two radiation doses, 2 and 4 MGy, were applied, the higher one roughly corresponding to 30 years of irradiation in reactor containment. The glass insulation was irradiated at low (70°C) and increased (450°C) temperatures. The results of the static leaching tests were compared with those obtained for nonirradiated native glass fibers. In distilled water, higher normalized leached amounts of calcium were found for low-temperature-irradiated glass fibers and in the initial stage of leaching of high-temperature-irradiated glass fibers; the lower normalized leached amounts were found for boron for glasses irradiated at both temperatures. In the borate coolant solution, higher normalized leached amounts of calcium and lower leached amounts of aluminum were observed for glasses irradiated at both temperatures. In all cases, the results were comparable for both applied radiation doses. Moreover, extraordinary brittleness of the glass fibers irradiated at high temperature was observed. This principally new finding needs further experimental and theoretical investigation.