ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Roberto E. Fairhurst-Agosta, Tomasz Kozlowski
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 1 | January 2025 | Pages 66-78
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2319922
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An accurate assessment of the deposited energy across a reactor geometry allows for a better determination of the heat removal requirements and ensures effective cooling after shutdown. This work discusses several methods in detail that target the heat deposition in specific reactor regions, leading to a choice of a prevalent method for the calculation workflow. This paper introduces a delayed heating calculation workflow based on the formal three-step process. The workflow relies on the MCNP-ORIGEN Activation Automation tool for performing the first two steps of the process, while the third step is conducted via MCNP photon transport simulations. This paper showcases two applications to demonstrate the workflow and simulation outputs. These include an Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) experiment and the RA-6 reactor structures.