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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.
Shekhar Kumar
Nuclear Technology | Volume 210 | Number 11 | November 2024 | Pages 2038-2049
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2309070
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The density of aqueous solutions containing actinide nitrates is an important parameter for process design, equipment design, and remote operation/control. It is also significantly important for the estimation of atom densities during criticality calculations and related experiments involving actinide solutions. Using a massive database of 1353 points consisting of in-house-generated data as well as data published in the literature, a robust estimation of the coefficients of a re-parameterized and dimensionally consistent form of density equation was performed in the following range of parameters: U(VI) concentration 0 to 1330 g/L, Pu(IV) concentration 0 to 1201 g/L, HNO3 concentration 0 to 15.8 M, and temperature range of 283.15 to 373.15 K. This paper lists the details of the new database, the newly estimated coefficients, and the performance evaluation of the proposed re-parameterized dimensionally consistent equations.