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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.
J. J. Koelling, G. E. Hansen, C. C. Byers
Nuclear Technology | Volume 35 | Number 3 | October 1977 | Pages 611-616
Technical Paper | Reactor Siting | doi.org/10.13182/NT77-A31870
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The critical masses and fission and explosive energy releases of PuO2, PuO2-U2, UO2, and UO3 assemblies have been calculated. The parameters selected for the model are conservative. They were chosen after review of appropriate plants that have been and are proposed for construction in the future. The resulting data envelopes are intended to include any conceivable set of circumstances that could ultimately lead to a nuclear incident. All energy release analysis was performed for initial fission spikes only: recriticality mechanisms were not considered.