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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.
Helen Winberg-Wang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 204 | Number 2 | November 2018 | Pages 184-194
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1469348
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Diffusion experiments under stagnant conditions in a constant aperture and a variable aperture slot were made to obtain data for simulation of simultaneous flow and diffusion in fractures. This approach was necessitated by the need to avoid buoyancy-induced flow caused by density differences generated by the presence of a tracer. For this purpose, to avoid flow but negligibly influence diffusion the slots were filled with agar, which generates a 99% porous matrix, which negligibly affects diffusion but essentially stops flow. A simple photographic technique was used to follow diffusion and to determine the aperture distribution on the variable aperture slot. With the obtained data, numerical simulations were performed to illustrate how a solute diffuses from a source into the water seeping past. The results support the simple analytical solution that has been used to determine the escape of radionuclides from a damaged canister containing spent nuclear fuel in a geologic repository in fractured rock.