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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.
Sarah Scarboro, Nolan Hertel, Eric Burgett, Rebecca Howell, Armin Ansari
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 1 | October 2009 | Pages 169-172
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-A9120
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In the event of a terrorist act involving a radiological agent, internal contamination due to inhalation is a potential health threat. When a large population is potentially impacted, there is need for methodology to serve as an initial screening or triage tool to rapidly identify individuals with significant amounts of internal contamination and to assist in prioritizing collection of large numbers of bioassay samples needed in such an incident. Common handheld radiation detectors and medical devices are tools that can effectively and rapidly screen a large number of people for internal contamination due to gamma-emitting isotopes. This work investigated the use of a common medical device, a thyroid uptake system or thyroid probe, in screening for internal contamination in individuals. The response of a thyroid uptake system in such a situation can be estimated by using a validated Monte Carlo model of the thyroid uptake system and various human phantoms. A computational model of the thyroid uptake system was built using the Los Alamos Particle Transport Code, MCNP Version 5. The validation of this computational model was demonstrated by comparisons to a series of benchmark measurements using the actual device and six isotopes with a range of gamma-ray emission energies.