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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.
Y. S. Na, W. Lee, S. Song
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 4 | April 2020 | Pages 544-553
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1657328
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study observed the breakup of helium stratification, which was 30 vol % helium in air and formed in the upper part of a cylindrical test vessel with a height of 9.5 m and a diameter of 3.4 m. An air jet collided with the density interface on which the restoring buoyancy of the helium and the disturbing inertial force of the impinging jet were balanced. The Reynolds number of the jet was about 20 000 at the exit of a vertical pipe located 3.0 m below the initial stratification. The helium concentration was measured by sampling the gas mixture with thermal conductivity analyzers. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) visualized the flow field of the jet impinging on the density interface. The density interface was clearly shown by the binary images generated from the number of tracer particles for the PIV. From the continuous impinging jet, the density interface gradually moved upward. The interaction Froude number, which was defined by the ratio of the inertial force of the impinging jet to the buoyancy of a light gas on the density interface, was about unity calculated by the helium concentration and the flow visualization. The density interface went up to 0.0002 m/s.