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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.
Kazuo Azekura
Nuclear Technology | Volume 77 | Number 3 | June 1987 | Pages 255-262
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT87-A33965
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An analysis model has been proposed to evaluate reactivity due to horizontal fast breeder reactor (FBR) core deformation in seismic events by direct three-dimensional eigenvalue calculations, which are impossible for current neutronic analysis programs. The model is based on a current-centered finite difference neutron diffusion calculation method. Macroscopic neutron reaction cross sections are defined, which take into account changes in both mesh volume and material composition. Further, the expression of vertical neutron current is modified in such a way as to take into account changes in vertical mesh interface areas. By using these macroscopic neutron cross sections and the modified expression for vertical neutron current, it is possible to calculate the effective multiplication factor of a deformed FBR core within the bounds of a finite difference diffusion calculation method using the same mesh division used for the normal nondeformed core. Computation time and computer core memory required by the presented model are almost the same as in current finite difference methods. The calculated reactivities for simple one-dimensional slab, two-dimensional slab, and three-dimensional hexagonal systems agreed within 5% of those obtained by either a finite element method or a finite difference method. The agreement was particularly good (within 2%) for cases in which fuel assembly pitches decrease around the horizontal core midplane; therefore, large reactivity is inserted.