ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
T. M. Moore, T. L. George
Nuclear Technology | Volume 196 | Number 2 | November 2016 | Pages 260-269
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT16-17
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Thermal hydraulics, Aerosols and Iodine (ThAI) facility, located in Eschborn, Germany, is a 60-m3 steel test vessel designed to simulate operational and accident conditions in a nuclear containment structure. The ThAI facility provides experimental data used for validation of thermal-hydraulic codes. The test performed at this facility has been modeled using the GOTHIC 8.1(QA) software package for the purpose of validating both physical models and modeling techniques.
The test analyzed is from step 2 of the International Standard Problem 47 test performed at the ThAI facility. This test consisted of three injection ports for steam and helium to enter the vessel off-axis. The off-axis injection locations along with the compartmented geometry of the facility provide a complex coupling of physics that would be present in an accident transient inside the containment of a typical light water reactor. Key considerations of this analysis are stratification of the steam and helium, condensation deposition, and flow patterns within the vessel.