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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.
Nisy E. Ipe
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 2 | November 2009 | Pages 559-563
Shielding Materials | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (Part 2) / Radiation Protection | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9243
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A typical particle therapy facility consists of an injector, a cyclotron or a synchrotron, a high-energy transport beam line, several treatment rooms including fixed-beam and gantry rooms, and even a research area. During the operation of these facilities, radiation is produced with neutrons being the dominant component outside the shielding. These facilities have large amounts of shielding with concrete thicknesses ranging up to [approximately]5 m or more. Space required for shielding can be minimized by using composite shielding or high-density material such as Ledite® (manufactured by Atomic International, Frederick, Pennsylvania). Transmission data for radiation from protons and carbon ions incident on tissue targets with energies in the therapeutic energy range of interest were derived using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA for three different compositions of Ledite. Use of Ledite® or composite shielding results in space savings when compared to concrete.