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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.
Laurence Rault, Murielle Heusch, Michel Allibert, Florent Lemort, Xavier Deschanel, Roger Boen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 139 | Number 2 | August 2002 | Pages 167-174
Technical Paper | Reprocessing | doi.org/10.13182/NT02-A3311
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The investigation of the actinide and lanthanide distribution between a liquid metal and a molten fluoride salt shows a significant increase of the separation coefficient by using an aluminum-based pyrochemical system instead of a zinc-based system. The obtained values partly depend on the LiF/AlF3 ratio and can reach more than 30 000 when AlF3 is in excess with regard to the formation of the cryolite (Li3 AlF6). Furthermore, in the metal phase, the aluminum interacts with the lanthanides to a lesser extent than in other usual metallic solvents. This opens a new way to explore the feasibility of the separation of actinides and lanthanides in the field of nuclear fuel reprocessing.