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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.
Neelima Mallidi, Miles Greiner, Venkata V. R. Venigalla
Nuclear Technology | Volume 159 | Number 2 | August 2007 | Pages 192-201
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management and Disposal | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3864
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The response of a truck package to a radiation fire model is simulated for a range of fire durations using three-dimensional finite element analysis. A model is developed to determine the cumulative seal degradation from its temperature-versus-time history. This model is used to determine the minimum fire duration that causes the seal to lose containment integrity. The fire durations that cause the cladding to reach its long-term creep deformation and burst rupture temperatures are determined and found to be longer than the durations that cause the seal to lose containment integrity. These simulations are repeated for package models without the compliant regions of the impact limiters, and for a package with the impact limiter completely removed. Those simulations quantify the level of thermal protection the impact limiters provide to the seals and cladding during simulated fires.