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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.
Charles E. Cartmill
Nuclear Technology | Volume 46 | Number 3 | December 1979 | Pages 422-427
Technical Paper | Nuclear Power Reactor Safety / Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32348
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A Semiscale Mod-1 blowdown heat transfer test was conducted to supply thermal-hydraulic data concerning the fluid phenomena that occur during a small break loss-of-coolant accident. While it is easily recognized that a large break suddenly releases a great volume of coolant with rapidly falling levels and pressures, emergency core injection will also occur very early, compared to a small break. There has been concern that the longer times involved in small breaks (much longer subcooled flow periods) could lead to effects worse than for large breaks. Within the scope of the testing conducted, the small break has proven to be of lower consequences than the large break.