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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.
Carlos Ruiz, Carlos Rinaldi
Nuclear Technology | Volume 198 | Number 3 | June 2017 | Pages 319-326
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1297170
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This work presents the effects that produce the change in entropy during separation processes; it takes into account the dilution of UF6 in a carrier gas (H2, He, N2, Ar, Xe, SF6, etc.). Comparisons were made between two technologies: one a mature process currently used, i.e., centrifugation (process A), and the other in development, i.e., processes based on a laser [Condensation Repression Isotope Separation by Laser (CRISLA), Molecular Laser Isotope Separation (MLIS), etc.] (process B). The calculations were made using the principles of mix thermodynamics. The results indicate that entropy expenditure is two orders of magnitude higher than that necessary to separate isotopes when the amount (of isotopes) is the same in both process A and process B.