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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.
Fei Jia, Jufeng Li, Jianlong Wang, Yuliang Sun
Nuclear Technology | Volume 197 | Number 2 | February 2017 | Pages 219-224
Technical Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT16-6
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A novel disc tubular reverse osmosis (DTRO) system was designed and applied for the removal of cesium ions from the simulated radioactive wastewater to enhance the concentration factor (CF), which is usually low with a conventional reverse osmosis system (about tenfold volume reduction). In this study, a three-stage structure was proposed to perform the decontamination and concentration separately for the radioactive wastewater treatment at different stages. This novel DTRO system makes it possible to achieve both high retention index (~99%) and CF (over 70) simultaneously. The system was operated at room temperature under ~4 MPa for stages I and II (permeate stages) and 6 to 8 MPa for stage III (concentrate stage). The wastewater processing capacity reached 450 ℓ/h, and only ~6 ℓ/h concentrate was produced. The DTRO system has the potential for application in the treatment of real radioactive wastewater produced in nuclear power plants.