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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.
James C. Mailen
Nuclear Technology | Volume 83 | Number 2 | November 1988 | Pages 182-189
Technical Paper | Fuel Cycle | doi.org/10.13182/NT88-A34159
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The degradation products produced in Purex solvent by exposure to nitric acid and radiation can be divided into two groups: those that are removed by scrubbing with sodium carbonate solutions and those that are not; the latter materials are called long-chain degradation products. This paper describes investigations using activated alumina for removal of these long-chain degradation products from first-cycle, Savannah River Plant and Idaho Chemical Processing Plant solvents that had been previously washed with sodium carbonate solution. Activated alumina was found to be very effective for improving the phase separation of the solvent from the sodium carbonate solutions, increasing the interfacial tension, and removing components that complex plutonium. It was less effective for removing anionic surfactants and ruthenium. The capacity of the activated alumina for treating 30% tri-n-butyl phosphate solutions was greatly improved by drying the solvent before treatment.