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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.
Robert B. Hayes
Nuclear Technology | Volume 168 | Number 3 | December 2009 | Pages 852-857
MC Calculations | Special Issue on the 11th International Conference on Radiation Shielding and the 15th Topical Meeting of the Radiation Protection and Shielding Division (PART 3) / Radiation Measurements and Instrumentation | doi.org/10.13182/NT09-A9318
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is shown that basic measurements made from well-defined source detector configurations can be readily converted into benchmark quality results by which Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) input stacks can be validated. Specifically, a recent measurement made in support of national security at the Nevada Test Site is described with sufficient detail to be submitted to the American Nuclear Society's Joint Benchmark Committee for consideration as a radiation measurement benchmark. From this very basic measurement, MCNP input stacks are generated and validated both in predicted signal amplitude and spectral shape. Not modeled at this time are those perturbations from the more recent pulse-height-light tally feature, although what spectral deviations are seen can be partially attributed to not including this small correction. The value of this work is as a proof-of-concept demonstration that well-documented historical testing can be converted into formal radiation measurement benchmarks. This provides evidentiary support that validated virtual testing could eventually be carried out for various detection system technologies including algorithms, new detector designs, constructions, and arbitrary source and shielding assemblies.