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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.
Sang Ji Kim, Yonghee Kim, Sergi Hong, Chung Ho Cho, Jae-Hyuk Eoh, Jong Bum Kim, Myung Hwan Wi, Kwi Seok Ha, Eui Kwang Kim
Nuclear Technology | Volume 170 | Number 1 | April 2010 | Pages 148-158
Technical Paper | Special Issue on the 2008 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants / Fission Reactors | doi.org/10.13182/NT10-A9453
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The conceptual design of a 900-MW(thermal) lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) system for transuranic element (TRU) burning is developed and analyzed using TRU-U-Zr metallic alloy fuel. The design and analysis areas covered are neutronics design, thermal-hydraulic analysis, thermal system design, system mechanical design and analysis, system arrangement, passive decay heat removal system evaluation, and safety analysis for anticipated transient without scram (ATWS) events. Design challenges, solutions, and further research and development items during the conceptual design are described in this paper. Large burnup reactivity swing inherent in the transmutation reactor and irradiation damage to the cladding by high fast neutron fluence are overcome by filling in boron carbide within the tie rods with axial cutbacks. The lead coolant in the reactor pool was estimated to lead to a maximum stress of 125 MPa in the containment vessel. For the long-term cooling behavior upon the concurrent occurrences of a loss of heat sink and a loss of flow, the hot pool temperature is maintained below the design limit of 650°C, which is achieved by an improved decay heat removal design with heat transfer enhancement mechanisms. Analyses of the ATWSs in the investigated core do not reveal any problem from the viewpoints of fuel temperature, cladding temperature, and hot pool temperature. In conclusion, the 900-MW(thermal) LFR system in this study does not pose any significant design-related concerns except for a marginal seismic loading due to the large coolant mass and a verification of the newly introduced design resolutions for long-term decay heat removal.