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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.
Seungmin Oh, Haijing Gao, Shripad T. Revankar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 158 | Number 2 | May 2007 | Pages 208-218
Technical Paper | Nuclear Reactor Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3836
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental study and best-estimate thermal-hydraulic code model assessment is performed to investigate the characteristics of the filmwise condensation with and without noncondensable gas in a passive condenser system. A vertical condenser tube is submerged in a water pool, where the heat from the condenser tube is removed through boiling heat transfer. Data are obtained for various inlet steam flow rates and noncondensable gas mass fractions at various system pressure conditions for two tube inner diameters: 26.6 and 52.5 mm. Experimental data are compared with analysis for complete condensation and flow-through conditions. Degradation of the condensation with noncondensable gas is investigated, where the condensation heat transfer coefficient decreases with the noncondensable gas. Experimental results are simulated with the RELAP5 code using two different condensation models. Code predictions are compared with experimental data, and the results indicate that there is a need for improved condensation models in RELAP5.