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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.
Ming-Chen Hsiao, Shiang-Huei Jiang
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 1 | October 2009 | Pages 191-195
Dosimetry | 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-A9124
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This work aims to investigate major operation parameters including scan uniformity, film orientation, scan resolution, image region of interest, energy dependence, postirradiation coloration, and ambient temperature in order to establish an appropriate protocol for calibration and dose measurement using a GafChromic film dosimetry system. A two-dimensional dosimetry system comprising GafChromic films and an Epson Expression 1680 flatbed document scanner was employed. EBT films in a 30- × 30- × 25-cm3 solid water phantom were exposed in a photon field delivered by a Varian 21EX electron linear accelerator with a 10- × 10-cm2 field size. The operation parameters of the GafChromic film dosimetry system were investigated in detail. The dose profile measurement was compared with calculation delivered by the Varian Eclipse treatment planning system. Some deviations in the penumbra regions were found.
