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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.
Martin P. Sherman, Marshall Berman
Nuclear Technology | Volume 81 | Number 1 | April 1988 | Pages 63-77
Technical Paper | Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34079
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
It is possible to objectively determine whether a detonation can propagate in a given geometry (volume shape and size, obstacle configuration, degree of confinement) for a given mixture composition (concentrations of hydrogen, air, and steam); this is done by conservatively equating the detonation propagation criteria with the criteria for transition from deflagration to detonation. To reduce the degree of conservatism in this procedure, estimates of the probability of transition to detonation are constructed, based on subjective extrapolations of empirical data. A methodology is introduced that qualitatively ranks mixtures and geometries according to the degree to which they are conducive to transition to detonation. The methodology is then applied to analyzing the potential for local detonations in the Bellefonte reactor containment for a variety of accident scenarios. Based on codecalculated rates and quantities of hydrogen generation and calculated rates of transport and mixing, this methodology indicates a low potential for detonation except for one volume in a few cases.