ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
G. Pantis
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 3 | Number 3 | May 1983 | Pages 498-505
Technical Paper | Economic | doi.org/10.13182/FST83-A20872
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
We investigated the power capabilities and the economic performance of a semicatalyzed-deuterium hybrid reactor with a fissionable blanket fueling a D-3He field-reversed mirror satellite. The hybrid reactor consists of five cells each producing 15-MW fusion power by a total injection of 29 MW of 160-keV deuterium. With a blanket multiplication of four, it supplies a net electric output power of 61 MW, corresponding to an economic figure-of-merit (FOM) of roughly 1800 dollar/kW(electric), which compares favorably with conventional fission reactors. The D-3He satellite is a single-cell reactor of 1 0-MW net electric power, showing a rather high economic FOM of ∼4300 dollar/kW(electric), giving an average economic FOM of ∼2200 dollar/kW(electric) for the combined system.
