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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.
I Ming Huang, Yuh Ming Ferng, Shih Jen Wang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 160 | Number 3 | December 2007 | Pages 294-307
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3900
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The severe accident management guideline (SAMG) was developed and implemented at the Kuosheng nuclear power plant (NPP) in Taiwan at the end of 2003. The Kuosheng NPP is a Mark-III boiling water reactor (BWR)-6 located in the north of Taiwan. The SAMG of the Kuosheng NPP is developed based on the BWR Owners Group Emergency Procedure and Severe Accident Guidelines. In this paper, MELCOR 1.8.5 is used to investigate the effectiveness of the Kuosheng SAMG and to analyze the reactor coolant system (RCS) bleed-and-feed strategy in a postulated station blackout (SBO) accident since this accident is a dominant sequence that can induce core damage. These simulation results can be applied for the typical BWR-6 NPPs. Based on the simulation results, the major events of an SBO accident without any operator actions, including core uncovery, cladding oxidation, hydrogen generation, fuel relocation, vessel failure, and containment failure, are well presented. The RCS bleed-and-feed strategy can cool down the hot core and bring the vessel into the stable condition in the SBO accident with high-pressure core spray injection according to the Kuosheng SAMG. The reactor pressure vessel depressurization before the reactor liquid level reaches one-fourth of the core liquid level can prevent damage to the core fuel. However, the water temperature of the suppression pool will reach saturation temperature, and the containment pressure may challenge the containment integrity. These phenomena were not considered while developing the SAMG.