ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
Mar 2026
Jan 2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
April 2026
Nuclear Technology
February 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Swiss nuclear power and the case for long-term operation
Designed for 40 years but built to last far longer, Switzerland’s nuclear power plants have all entered long-term operation. Yet age alone says little about safety or performance. Through continuous upgrades, strict regulatory oversight, and extensive aging management, the country’s reactors are being prepared for decades of continued operation, in line with international practice.
Antti Räty, Merja Tanhua-Tyrkkö, Petri Kotiluoto, Tommi Kekki
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 196 | Number 6 | June 2022 | Pages 735-750
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2021.2011671
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
FiR 1 is a TRIGA Mark II-type research reactor in Finland. It was in operation between 1962 to 2015 and will be dismantled in 2022 to 2023. Preliminary calculations of the activities in the reactor main structures were performed in an earlier stage of the decommissioning project. Samples of the activated parts of the reactor biological shield concrete were drilled in December 2018 to validate these estimates. This paper describes the calculations and gamma activity measurements performed for the activated concrete samples to determine the boundary between radioactive parts and concrete that can plausibly be free-released from regulatory control. The activities have been estimated with a two-step calculation process using the MCNP and ORIGEN-S calculation codes and measurements using an ISOCS gamma spectrometer with a high-purity germanium detector.