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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.
Youngsu Na
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 2 | February 2025 | Pages 273-285
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2325738
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study evaluates the spatial dilution of hydrogen concentration caused by steam-hydrogen buoyancy jets rising through the open top of the steam generator compartment during a loss-of-coolant accident in the OPR1000, the Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant. The correlation of the concentration decay rate in the plume with relatively high buoyant flux was applied to estimate the hydrogen concentration in the rise distance of the buoyant jet. The MELCOR code was used to calculate the gas composition and discharge flow rate in the ruptured cold leg during the rapid cladding oxidation to determine the volume and buoyant fluxes that affect the mixing behavior. The concentration decay rate at the plume’s center decreases as the steam-hydrogen binary buoyant jet rises. Despite the assumed initial volume flux and simplified jet nozzle geometry, the decay rate correlation can assess conservatively the diluted hydrogen in a severe accident.