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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.
Bo Kyun Seo, Jong Kyung Kim, Chang Ho Shin, Tae Je Kwon
Nuclear Technology | Volume 133 | Number 3 | March 2001 | Pages 325-337
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle and Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT01-A3177
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The feasibility of nuclear power plant lifetime extension was examined by reducing the fast neutron fluence at the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and relieving irradiation embrittlement of materials, and thus ensuring enough structural integrity beyond the design lifetime. Two fluence reduction options, peripheral assembly replacement and additional shield installation in the outer core structures, were applied to the Kori Unit-1 reactor, and the fluence reduction effect was carefully analyzed. For an accurate estimate of the neutron fluence at the RPV and a reasonable description of the modified peripheral assemblies, a full-scope explicit modeling of a Monte Carlo simulation was employed in all calculations throughout this study. The Kori Unit-1 cycle-16 core was modeled on a three-dimensional representation by using the MCNP4B code, and the fluence distribution was estimated at the inner wall beltline around the circumferential weld of the RPV. On the basis of fracture toughness requirements of the RPV, the two modified cases were predicted to have an additional life of 7 to 10 effective full-power years. Throughout the core nuclear characteristics analyses, it was confirmed that the critical peaking factors for safe reactor operation were satisfied with the design limits.