PI: Pingbo Tang
Co-PI(s): Christopher McComb
University: Carnegie Mellon University
Industry Partner(s): Westinghouse Electric Company LLC.
The proposed project aims to enable fewer human operators to operate more nuclear microreactors remotely with operational safety, cybersecurity, and efficiency through human systems engineering. Nuclear microreactors can serve as reliable decentralized energy sources to stabilize energy grids. Improved passive safety features and automation techniques of modern microreactors make it possible to have humans coordinate many microreactors remotely. A growing concern is how this new decentralized microreactor operating paradigm meets nuclear safety regulations. The project team will collaborate with Westinghouse to 1) synthesize Human Factors Engineering (HFE) review guidelines applicable to microreactors from nuclear regulation organizations; 2) synthesize scenarios in which the interface between human and microreactors cause safety concerns; 3) conduct HFE design and development of Human Systems Interfaces (HSI) for remote operations of automated microreactors; 4) examine HSI of decentralized operations of two microreactors that balance a grid with uncertain energy demands and sources.