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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.
Hanlin Shu, Liangzhi Cao, Qingming He
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 11 | November 2025 | Pages 2846-2869
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2462376
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Unstructured mesh (UM) is regarded as an attractive alternative to constructive solid geometry (CSG) in Monte Carlo (MC) simulations due to its adaptability to complex geometries and inherent advantages in conducting multiphysics coupling analysis with finite element codes. However, there generally exists a gap between practical solid models and transport-ready geometries due to the omission of background materials such as air and coolant. This necessitates additional effort to create computer-aided design models for background materials and to generate UM representations meeting accuracy requirements. Such limitations can restrict the applicability of MC simulations, particularly when background materials exhibit significant scale variations and narrow slots. Furthermore, the memory requirements and computational costs associated with UM-based MC simulations for large-scale problems may pose feasibility challenges.
To mitigate these issues, this paper presents an intrusive approach to MC simulations within hybrid geometry. In the hybrid geometry, complex solid entities are represented using UM, while background materials or regular-shape geometries are modeled using CSG. This approach allows for arbitrary intersections between these two geometric representations by explicitly processing the topological relationships between CSG and UM objects during geometric initialization and particle tracking.
The hybrid geometry–based particle tracking capability has been implemented in the MC code NECP-MCX. Validation studies were conducted against benchmarks, including the KRUSTY (Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling Technology) component critical configurations and the ATR (Advanced Test Reactor) critical experiment. Numerical results underscore potential challenges encountered by the pure UM approach while demonstrating that hybrid geometry–based MC simulations can achieve results that closely align with experimental measurements in acceptable efficiencies.