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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.
Jong-Hark Park, Hee-Taek Chae, Cheol Park, Heonil Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 160 | Number 3 | December 2007 | Pages 346-351
Technical Note | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT07-A3905
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A tubular-type fuel assembly has been considered as one of the candidates for the fuel of the Advanced HANARO Reactor (AHR). The hydraulic characteristics of the tubular fuel under consideration have been investigated by an experiment and a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. To measure the flow distribution and the pressure drop, a test facility was constructed, and a mock-up of a tubular fuel was fabricated. A pitot tube was employed to measure the coolant velocity in the flow channels. Numerical analysis by the CFD code was also conducted to compare its results with the test results and to obtain insight into the flow structure in a tubular fuel. The simulation results by the CFD analysis showed reasonable agreement with the measurements for the flow distribution as well as good agreement for the pressure drop in a tubular fuel.