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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.
August W. Cronenberg
Nuclear Technology | Volume 97 | Number 1 | January 1992 | Pages 97-112
Technical Paper | Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT92-A34629
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Zircaloy oxidation and hydrogen generation data for the loss-of-fluid test (LOFT) FP-2 test are presented and compared with findings from other severe fuel damage experiments. In the LOFT FP-2 test, the majority of hydrogen generation occurred as a consequence of bundle reflooding, where significant hydrogen production was also noted in other reflood experiments and in the Three Mile Island Unit 2 accident. Common findings also indicate that during fuel uncovery, bundle oxidation is largely controlled by steam supply conditions, that high rates of hydrogen production continue after melt formation and relocation, and that partial flow-area blockages do not drastically reduce the rates of hydrogen production. Tests results thus indicate no apparent limitations to Zircaloy oxidation other than that due to steam supply conditions and known reaction kinetics, and that the potential for significant hydrogen generation exists during reflooding of cores containing molten metallic debris.