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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.
O. C. Kolar, H. F. Finn, N. L. Pruvost
Nuclear Technology | Volume 29 | Number 1 | April 1976 | Pages 57-72
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT76-A16290
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The first precision array measurements with high-density plutonium-metal cylindrical parts of 3 and 6 kg took place at the Livermore Critical Assembly Facility from 1965 to 1969. Cubic arrays of up to sixty-four 6-kg parts were measured. Mock high-explosive epoxy moderators were used in several measurements. Experiments observing the effects of simulated body reflectors provided personnel safety guidance for the construction of these arrays. A comparison of Monte Carlo calculations and the experimental measurements indicated that the calculational method is sufficiently accurate to be used in nuclear safety guidance for arrays of these elements. Included for comparison are calculations for arrays comprised solely of the plutonium parts. Also included are calculations for 6-kg-part arrays in which a 0.479-cm-wide gap at the midplane has been eliminated and where the spacing was varied for each idealized array.