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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.
R. Vaidyanathan
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 71 | Number 1 | July 1979 | Pages 46-54
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE79-A20328
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A semianalytic method to solve the multigroup transport equation is presented. Here, the collision source is represented as a piecewise continuous function in space, preserving its finite spatial moments. The angular flux is analytically evaluated. The performance of the method is compared with the DSN method in a problem of gamma-ray transport through a 1-m-thick block of iron. It is found that one can obtain accurate solutions with the present method using relatively coarse spatial cells, leading to a significant reduction in computing time.