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.
Martha Hultqvist, Irena Gudowska
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 1 | October 2009 | Pages 123-127
Dose/Dose Rate | 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 Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9111
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The mathematical anthropomorphic phantoms EVA-HIT and ADAM-HIT have been used in the Monte Carlo code SHIELD-HIT07 for simulations of lung tumor and prostate irradiation with light ions. Calculations were performed for 1H, 7Li, and 12C beams of energies in the range of 80 to 330 MeV/u. The secondary doses to organs, due to scattered primary ions and secondary particles produced in the phantoms, were studied taking into account the contribution from secondary neutrons, secondary protons, pions, and heavier fragments from helium to calcium. The doses to organs per dose to target (tumor) are of the order of 10-6 to 10-1 mGy Gy-1 and decrease with increasing distance from the target. In general the organ dose per target dose increases with increasing Z of the primary particle; however, for lighter primary ions (Z 3) and for organs close to the target, scattered primary particles show a nonnegligible dose contribution.
