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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.
Douglas R. Smith, Robert W. Albrecht
Nuclear Technology | Volume 79 | Number 1 | October 1987 | Pages 35-50
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A16003
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A recent development in passive safety devices for advanced liquid-metal reactors is the installation of manometerlike core assemblies called gas enhancement modules (GEMs). Knowledge of the liquid sodium level within the GEMs is required to monitor GEM operation. A microwave, resonant cavity level measurement technique has been laboratory tested on a scale model of a GEM assembly in a nonsodium environment. The theory behind this method is discussed, and the experimental results are shown to compare well with those predicted by theoretical calculation. The resonant cavity level detector tracked extremely well over the desired 0.1524- to 1.1176-m range of operation and provided accurate, reproducible results well within the desired ±25.4-mm actual level. When tested for vibrational stability, level errors of only 0.254 mm were observed. The effects of material differences between the experimental GEM (copper) and the actual GEM (Type 304 stainless steel) are calculated. The actual GEM will have poorer resolution but still be within ±25.4-mm actual level. Temperature effects are also calculated and produce a 10.5 kHz/°C shift in resonant frequency, which could cause the indicated level to exceed the ±25.4 mm allowed if large (∼149°C) temperature changes occur.