The operator and the seven small modular reactors — An estimate of the number of reactors that a single reactor operator can safely operate

Abstract

The promise of reasonable costs, shorter construction times, and rapid deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) is generating strong interest around the world. Research is being conducted in many areas to evaluate safety, reliability, and economics to keep capital costs low. Capital costs of new reactors have received much attention in the past. However, operating costs seem to have received less attention than they deserve. SMRs seek economies of scale from a large number of units deployed, raising many questions about how to operate multiple units with safety and economics comparable to (or better than) large units. The parallels between aviation and nuclear operations have been used in the past to benefit from each other’s experience and practices. In this paper, air traffic control and remote tower control workload studies are adapted to evaluate the number of reactors that can be safely operated by a single reactor operator under all reasonably assumed combinations of conditions. The conclusion of this paper is that the number of reactors that can be safely operated by a single operator is in the single digits and decreases with the level of attention required by plant conditions.