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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.
Yongwei Chen, Zeyong Zhang, Dong Li
Nuclear Technology | Volume 204 | Number 3 | December 2018 | Pages 378-385
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1477394
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
To effectively reduce the probability of instrumentation and control (I&C) equipment aging failures in nuclear power plants, a preventive replacement aging treatment strategy should be adopted. A single failure–oriented and component aging sensitivity classification model is put forward to classify I&C equipment aging in nuclear power plants, and three methods for assessing I&C equipment life cycles (i.e., aging tests, standards and specifications, and failure data) are provided. Meanwhile, provided with the characteristic curves of I&C equipment aging failures in nuclear power plants, specific aging treatment steps are put forward, including (1) defining the scope of aging treatment in horizontal and longitudinal dimensions of signal flow direction and equipment composition; (2) determining the aging treatment implementation cycle by a life cycle margin setting method; (3) refining the aging treatment implementation process by division of four stages, namely, aged equipment classification, aging data management, aging treatment implementation, and aging testing feedback, to ensure reliable and safe operation of I&C equipment in nuclear power plants.