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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.
Eric V. Brown, Leonard W. Gray, D. William Tedder
Nuclear Technology | Volume 89 | Number 3 | March 1990 | Pages 328-340
Technical Paper | Chemical Processing | doi.org/10.13182/NT90-A34370
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A computer model of an air-lift dissolver was developed to predict the dissolution rates for plutonium oxide (PuO2), dysprosium oxide (Dy2O3), and incinerator ash. This model combines surface kinetics with mass transfer effects to obtain overall rate expressions. The mass transfer coefficients are related to several major process variables. These predictions were compared with experimental tests at Savannah River Laboratory using simulated ash and Dy2O3 as a surrogate for refractory PuO2. The present version of the model overestimates the residual fluoride concentrations in dissolver effluents by ∼50% for several reasons, which are discussed. The minimum air sparge rates to achieve liquid circulation in the dissolver are predicted quite well, within ± 6%. The nonvolatile dissolved solids are estimated to within ±5 to 20%. Dysprosium dissolution is predicted to within ±10%. Dysprosium oxide is a poor surrogate for refractory PuO2.