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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.
L. Devell, R. Hesböl, E. Bachofner*
Nuclear Technology | Volume 10 | Number 4 | April 1971 | Pages 466-471
Technical Paper | Symposium on Reactor Containment Spray System Technology / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A16258
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
From large-scale experiments on the iodine removal efficiency of a water pool at 100°C as well as from supporting laboratory runs within the concentration range 10−8 to 10−5 M, it was observed that permanent trapping was achieved to a great extent even at neutral pH conditions. The efficiency was considerably higher at lower iodine concentration. The fraction permanently trapped approximately corresponded to the theoretically evaluated equilibrium amounts of hypoiodous acid and iodide. A mathematical model designed for the washout of molecular iodine in reactor containment atmosphere by sprays gives iodine concentration in containment versus spray time. The model takes the degree of hydrolysis of iodine at different pH values and concentrations into consideration. Initial results from spray experiments performed in a 2.5 m3 tank at pH = 6 to 7.5 and gas phase concentrations around 4 × 10−4, 5 × 10−5, and 1.5 × 10−6 kg/m3 gave half-times due to spraying of about 45, 5, and 2 min, respectively. They confirm the expected strong influence of iodine concentration on washout half-time.