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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.
Yi-Chun Lin, Shi-Hwa Su, Hui-Yu Tsai, Shiang-Huei Jiang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 1 | October 2009 | Pages 74-78
Detectors | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (Part 1) / Radiation Measurements and Instrumentation | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9103
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The purpose of this research is to estimate the wall effect of spherical graphite-walled cavity chambers using the Monte Carlo method to establish a 60Co air-kerma standard at the National Radiation Standard Laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (NRSL/INER), Taiwan. For more than a decade, the validity of the wall correction term kwall determined by linear-extrapolation methods has been strongly challenged by the Monte Carlo method. In this paper, one goal was to evaluate in detail kwall for spherical chambers varying with wall thickness (0.1 to 2.5 cm), cavity size (1 to 1000 cm3), and incident photon energy (0.02 to 1.33 MeV). The other goal was to obtain kwall for self-fabricated, spherical chambers and then compare it with the historical values in 2003. A significant increase of 0.3% for air kerma in the 60Co field was expected. The difference of bilateral comparison between NRSL/INER and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency was reduced when the calculated kwall, instead of the original estimated value of kwall, was applied for the derivation of the calibration factor. The NRSL/INER primary standards for air kerma will be adjusted in the near future to reflect the changes in kwall described in this work.
