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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.
Bradley J. Micklich, Franz X. Gallmeier, Michael Wohlmuther
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 3 | December 2009 | Pages 700-705
Accelerators | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (PART 3) / Accelerators | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9293
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Component radioactivation is an important problem in accelerator facilities, impacting operations, maintenance, decommissioning, and disposal. Radionuclide inventories are calculated for an 8-cm-diam, 30.9-cm-long lead target irradiated by 660-MeV protons using the particle transport code MCNPX and the transmutation codes CINDER'90, ORIHET-3, and SP-FISPACT. The results using the various codes and data libraries are compared with experimental measurements. Comparisons are also made between the outputs of the three codes for nuclides not represented in the measurements. For more than half the nuclides studied, the codes agree with the measurements within a factor of 2, and nearly all agree within a factor of 10. The present set of codes and nuclear data files are largely adequate for calculating radioactivation in accelerator facilities, but there is room for substantial improvement for selected radionuclides.
