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Processes
Special Issues
Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants
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Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 July 2025 | Viewed by 1759

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ming Yang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: nuclear safety and reliability; human-machine interface and interaction; digital instrumentation and control; intelligent nuclear power plant; risk-informed operation and decision making
Dr. Jipu Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Nuclear and Radiation Safety, Institute for Advanced Study in Nuclear Energy & Safety, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: digital twin; nuclear decommissioning; computational nuclear reactor physics; multi-physics coupling; radiation monitoring
Dr. Sijuan Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Nuclear and Radiation Safety, Institute for Advanced Study in Nuclear Energy & Safety, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: nuclear safety; probabilistic safety assessment; risk analysis; risk-informed decision-making; reliability engineering; artificial intelligence; human-machine interaction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on "Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants" explores the latest advancements in nuclear safety, particularly in the context of ongoing improvements made in the nuclear industry since the Fukushima accident. In the years following the incident, significant efforts have been dedicated to enhancing the safety of operating nuclear plants. Notably, the design of next-generation reactors has incorporated passive safety systems, while risk-informed decision-making frameworks have become more widely applied in plant operation and maintenance.

In parallel, the emergence of digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is driving major advancements in both the safety and operational efficiency of nuclear power plants across their entire lifecycle. These technologies are being used to enhance safety monitoring, optimize plant performance, improve risk prediction, and support real-time decision making from design and construction through to operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.

Furthermore, nuclear safety regulation has evolved to keep pace with these technological developments, with a growing emphasis on integrating regulatory oversight into digital tools and risk-based frameworks. This is essential to ensure that safety measures align with the latest advancements and industry standards.

This Special Issue invites high-quality research on the following topics:

  • Advanced safety design technologies for nuclear reactors;
  • Risk-informed operation and maintenance strategies for nuclear power plants;
  • The integration of digitalization and AI in enhancing safety, security, and operational performance;
  • Implementation of passive safety systems in modern reactor designs;
  • Digitalization and AI-assisted lifecycle management of nuclear power plants;
  • The evolving role of nuclear safety regulation in supporting and overseeing technological advancements.

Prof. Dr. Ming Yang
Guest Editor

Dr. Jipu Wang
Dr. Sijuan Chen
Guest Editor Assistants

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nuclear safety
  • passive safety systems
  • digitalization in nuclear power
  • risk-informed decision making
  • AI in nuclear lifecycle management

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1136 KiB  
Article
Risk Management in Nuclear Power Plant Configuration: Practices and Applications in China
by Yongyue Chu, Kunze Yang, Yan Yi, Sijuan Chen and Ming Yang
Processes 2025, 13(6), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13061926 - 18 Jun 2025
Viewed by 245
Abstract
This paper explores the application and evolution of Configuration Risk Management (CRM) systems in Chinese nuclear power plants, focusing on their alignment with the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA)’s technical policies. It examines how CRM integrates risk management action matrices, risk limits, and [...] Read more.
This paper explores the application and evolution of Configuration Risk Management (CRM) systems in Chinese nuclear power plants, focusing on their alignment with the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA)’s technical policies. It examines how CRM integrates risk management action matrices, risk limits, and monitoring tools to manage risks effectively across both second-generation plants with a higher baseline Core Damage Frequency (CDF) and third-generation plants with a lower baseline CDF. The study highlights the significant advancements in CRM system development, including the improvement of risk monitoring tools and the establishment of standardized technical guidelines, and underscores the critical role of ongoing regulatory support and CRM system enhancement to ensure the safe and sustainable operation of nuclear power plants in China, offering valuable insights for future nuclear safety management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants)
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14 pages, 4179 KiB  
Article
Research on a Data-Driven Fast Calculation Method for Power Distribution in Small Nuclear Power Reactor Core
by Xiaolong Wang, Song Li, Yongfa Zhang and Cong Zhang
Processes 2025, 13(3), 841; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13030841 - 13 Mar 2025
Viewed by 672
Abstract
Small nuclear power reactors have small core dimensions, frequent power changes, and more severe power distortion compared to nuclear power stations. However, their core has fewer measurement points, making it difficult to observe their core power distribution. High-precision physical calculation programs can accurately [...] Read more.
Small nuclear power reactors have small core dimensions, frequent power changes, and more severe power distortion compared to nuclear power stations. However, their core has fewer measurement points, making it difficult to observe their core power distribution. High-precision physical calculation programs can accurately calculate the core power distribution, but the real-time performance of the calculation is poor, which is not conducive to online use. In this study, based on physical computing programs, the power distribution spectrum library of small nuclear power reactors under different operating conditions is calculated, and artificial intelligence algorithms are designed. A data-driven model for the proxy relationship between operating state parameters and core power distribution is trained and constructed to achieve rapid calculation and online support of core power distribution, which improves the level of online safety supervision of small power reactors. Numerical experiments show that this method has high accuracy and good robustness, and can meet the requirements of small nuclear power reactor operation safety support. This research is based on a data-driven proxy model and has achieved fast computation of power distribution in the fuel cores of small modular reactors. It addresses the issue of insufficient real-time performance of high-precision physical programs and has important significance for the safe operation of reactors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants)
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Review

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24 pages, 3097 KiB  
Review
Advancements and Development Trends in Lead-Cooled Fast Reactor Core Design
by Cong Zhang, Ling Chen, Yongfa Zhang and Song Li
Processes 2025, 13(6), 1773; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13061773 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 599
Abstract
Motivated by the growth of global energy demand and the goal of carbon neutrality, lead-cooled fast reactors, which are core reactor types of fourth-generation nuclear energy systems, have become a global research hotspot due to their advantages of high safety, nuclear fuel breeding [...] Read more.
Motivated by the growth of global energy demand and the goal of carbon neutrality, lead-cooled fast reactors, which are core reactor types of fourth-generation nuclear energy systems, have become a global research hotspot due to their advantages of high safety, nuclear fuel breeding capability, and economic efficiency. However, its engineering implementation faces key challenges, such as material compatibility, closed fuel cycles, and irradiation performance of structures. This paper comprehensively reviews the latest progress in the core design of lead-cooled fast reactors in terms of the innovation of nuclear fuel, optimization of coolant, material adaptability, and design of assemblies and core structures. The research findings indicate remarkable innovation trends in the field of lead-cooled fast reactor core design, including optimizing the utilization efficiency of nuclear fuel based on the nitride fuel system and the traveling wave burnup theory, effectively suppressing the corrosion effect of liquid metal through surface modification technology and the development of ceramic matrix composites; replacing the lead-bismuth eutectic system with pure lead coolant to enhance economic efficiency and safety; and significantly enhancing the neutron economy and system integration degree by combining the collaborative design strategy of the open-type assembly structure and control drums. In the future, efforts should be made to overcome the radiation resistance of materials and liquid metal corrosion technology, develop closed fuel cycle systems, and accelerate the commercialization process through international standardization cooperation to provide sustainable clean energy solutions for basic load power supply, high-temperature hydrogen production, ship propulsion, and other fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Process Safety Technology for Nuclear Reactors and Power Plants)
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