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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.
F. Bevilacqua, W. C. Coppersmith, C. R. Musick
Nuclear Technology | Volume 4 | Number 2 | February 1968 | Pages 70-78
Technical Paper and Note | doi.org/10.13182/NT68-A26332
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The positive coolant coefficient of reactivity characteristic of a large, economic, heavy-water-moderated, organic-cooled reactor (HWOCR) may make the power coefficient slightly positive. Therefore, the inherent reactor response characteristic of a positive power coefficient was studied dynamically to determine if a practical controller and shutdown system could be designed. Reactivity, coolant flow, and coolant inlet temperature perturbations were studied in controlled and uncontrolled situations. It is concluded that with a small positive power coefficient this reactor can be stably controlled with a simple on-off dead band controller and that a relatively unsophisticated shutdown system will prevent damage under severe transient conditions even in the case of a failure of the automatic controller.