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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.
Edmund S. Sowa
Nuclear Technology | Volume 7 | Number 1 | July 1969 | Pages 100-105
Technique | doi.org/10.13182/NT69-A28391
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An investigation was performed on possible penetration of sodium into Type-304L stainless-steel grain boundaries when the steel was exposed to the liquid metal at 1200°F. The method used consisted of progressive penetration with a laser through sodium-filled thin wall stainless-steel tubes ∼0.0005 in. at a time. Simultaneous recording of the emission spectrum of each sample on photographic film resulted in the production of a comparative record which was analyzed for the intensity of the sodium 5890 and 5895.5 Å doublet. Entry into a sodium-rich region was attended with intensification of the sodium lines. Results with a series of tubes exposed to sodium at 1200°F up to 1425 h and compared with a control sample not treated at 1200°F did not show any evidence of sodium penetration through Type-304L stainless steel.