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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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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.
L. A. Beach, P. Shapiro, R. C. O'Rourke, W. R. Faust, B. Lepson
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 6 | Number 1 | July 1959 | Pages 66-75
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE59-A25629
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
By Fourier transform techniques the exact solutions of the one-velocity neutron diffusion problem for a uniform infinite medium with isotropic scattering have been derived for plane isotropic, plane parallel monodirectional, and plane parallel bidirectional source terms. These exact solutions in terms of Fourier inversion integrals were numerically evaluated upon the NAREC to give the angular distribution of the scattered intensity, the total scattered intensity, and the total intensity. By solving the integrals by contour integration in the complex plane, asymptotic solutions were obtained which are good approximate solutions for deep penetrations and problems with little absorption.