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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.
Barry E. Scheetz, William B. White, Scott D. Atkinson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 56 | Number 2 | February 1982 | Pages 289-296
Technical Paper | Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A32856
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Solubility effects were measured on ceramic and single crystal alumina, titania, SrTiO3 (perovskite structure), and ceramic zirconia at 300 and 400°C for times of 7 and 18 days. Selected fluids were deionized water, a high-bicarbonate, high-sulfate simulated connate water (∼1% total dissolved solids), saturated NaCl brine, and a high-magnesium, high-calcium bittern brine. There is measurable dissolution of Al3+ in the connate water and in the bittern brine only. In both cases this can be related to the low pH conditions expected in these fluids at high temperature and to the increase in aluminum solubility with decreasing pH. The SrTiO3 breaks down to some extent in all fluids in the order bittern brine >NaCl >bicarbonate water >deionized water. Dissolution attack on both titanium and zirconium oxides is very small, indicating that the oxides are stable in the pressure-tempera-ture-fluid composition regime. Breakdown of the perovskite phase appears to be by incongruent dissolution with concurrent precipitation of the titanium oxide.