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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.
Robert W. Rice, John C. Walton
Nuclear Technology | Volume 163 | Number 1 | July 2008 | Pages 15-23
Technical Paper | High-Level Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3965
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A numerical experiment was performed in order to examine the ability of multiple Monte Carlo realizations of a numerical model to reproduce the risk from a hypothetically known waste disposal situation. In the analysis, the risk was summarized by several risk metrics that could be chosen by a regulatory agency to set a risk standard. In the numerical experiment, the parameters in the numerical model are systematically varied to adjust bias (conservative or nonconservative) and to increase uncertainty relative to the hypothetically known future. The influence of parameter bias and uncertainty on the accuracy of each risk metric in predicting the nominal risk was evaluated and presented graphically. These analyses concluded that the peak-of-the-mean metric provides the least stable and least accurate risk predictions, whereas the cumulative release metric and mean of the peaks are more stable and accurate. The peak-of-the-mean and peak-of-the-median metrics exhibit risk dilution (i.e., a decrease in the predicted risk with increased uncertainty) and tend to underpredict risk. Additionally, these results illustrated how risk predictions that are made using what may be considered "conservative" assumptions can be moved in a direction that may or may not be expected or intended. Simulation relative to a hypothetical future (i.e., the nominal case) provides insight into the numerical behavior and potential accuracy of our risk assessment tools and potential issues with setting regulatory standards.