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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.
I. Bernstein, J. S. Greacen, R. A. Matzie, D. D. Miller
Nuclear Technology | Volume 56 | Number 3 | March 1982 | Pages 516-526
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A32910
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Semiannual refueling was evaluated as an alternative to the current annual refueling interval for pressurized water reactors. A reference refueling shutdown schedule was established and, by reviewing critical path outage tasks, a minimum duration refueling-only outage was postulated. An improved refueling system consisting of two cantilever-mounted refueling machines and two fuel transfer systems was developed, and an advanced fuel management scheme was examined that reduced the amount of fuel shuffled. In addition, an economic evaluation was performed to determine breakeven energy costs.