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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.
S. Chaudhury, S. A. Ansari, P. K. Mohapatra, D. M. Noronha, J. S. Pillai, Ashutosh Srivastava, I. C. Pius
Nuclear Technology | Volume 205 | Number 5 | May 2019 | Pages 727-735
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2018.1510699
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Laboratory-scale studies were carried out to develop an analytical methodology for the processing of plutonium-bearing analytical laboratory waste at liter scale using hollow fiber–supported liquid membrane (HFSLM) technique by selective recovery of plutonium from uranium, americium, and other laboratory chemicals. In the first stage, uranium and plutonium were selectively transported from the feed to the receiver phase using 30% tri-n-butyl phosphate/n-dodecane which was used as the carrier in HFSLM. From the thus separated uranium and plutonium mixture, Pu(III) was selectively precipitated as ammonium plutonium(III)-oxalate [NH4Pu(C2O4)2 · 3H2O], leaving most of the uranium in the supernatant solution. A combination of HFSLM method followed by ammonium plutonium–oxalate precipitation is faster, gives lower radiation exposure to working personnel, and generates lesser volume of secondary waste as compared to traditional precipitation/ion-exchange technique. Furthermore, the present methodology signifies its importance in providing a very good yield of Pu recovery (>99%) from waste solution.