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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.
Eric Cervi, Sébastien Baudier, Ling Zou, Rui Hu
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 9 | September 2025 | Pages 2045-2069
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2338506
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Software verification and validation constitute crucial phases in the development of simulation computer codes, particularly in the context of nuclear reactor safety analysis codes, where stringent safety requirements govern the development and deployment of nuclear technologies. This paper focuses on numerical verification study of the System Analysis Module (SAM) computer code, currently under development at Argonne National Laboratory. Specifically, we employed the Method of Manufactured Solutions (MMS) and proposed a verification technique tailored to the multiphysics simulation of molten salt reactors (MSRs). This research accomplished three main objectives. First, we have addressed key challenges associated with applying the MMS to MSR systems, arising from (1) the complex multiphysics coupling inherent in this problem and (2) the necessity to model the entire coolant loop for describing the drift of delayed neutron precursors outside the reactor core. The paper provides recommendations and guidelines to overcome these challenges, enabling the successful application of the MMS for simulating MSRs. Second, we have presented a comprehensive set of verification examples, serving as an exhaustive benchmark for code verification within the nuclear community. Third, we have established a robust verification of the SAM code’s capability to model MSR systems.