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August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
G. A. Porter, M. Delgado, Y. A. Hassan
Nuclear Technology | Volume 206 | Number 4 | April 2020 | Pages 565-576
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2019.1666600
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Helical coil steam generators (HCSGs) are tube and shell heat exchangers under investigation due to their future in nuclear power applications. A model of an HCSG with a transverse pitch ratio of 2.98 and changing lateral pitch ratio was created to study the pressure on the surface of the tubes under low Reynolds number flow. Pressure-sensitive paint was applied to rods of an outer bundle of the test section, and instantaneous and average pressure fields were analyzed for Reynolds numbers 4000 and 6000. A comparative study showed that the pressures along the rods had nonlinear behavior. Previous studies suggested a relationship between tube bundle characteristics and the lateral pitch ratio in heat exchanger designs. Since the transverse pitch ratio is constant, the lateral pitch ratio defines the tube bundle cross section as either staggered or inline depending on the cross-section location. Averaged pressure distributions were compared to lateral pitch ratios at respective locations. The pressure distributions along the staggered cross-section portion of the test section were found to exhibit a linear behavior across the heat exchanger body. While this study focuses on average surface pressure measurements, the differences between the same lateral pitch ratio and surface pressure show disagreement with previous studies focused on constant cross-section tube bundles. Flow phenomena within tube bundles, such as vortex shedding, are suspected to be the cause of this discrepancy but a transient analysis is necessary to determine its source.