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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.
Rudi Van De Graaf, T. H. J. J. Van Der Hagen, Robert F. Mudde
Nuclear Technology | Volume 105 | Number 2 | February 1994 | Pages 190-200
Technical Paper | Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34922
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
In order to study the thermohydraulic behavior of a natural-circulation-cooled boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel assembly, such as void drift, flow pattern distribution, and stability, a scaled loop geometry is designed. For modeling the steam/water flow in a BWR fuel assembly, scaling criteria are derived using the onedimensional drift-flux model. Thermal equilibrium and subcooled boiling conditions are treated separately, resulting in one overall set of criteria. Scaling on all flow regimes that can be present in a normal fuel assembly leads to fixing both the assembly mass flux and the geometric dimensions. When Freon-12 is used as a modeling fluid, model assembly dimensions must be 0.46 of the prototype. Total power consumption must be reduced by a factor 50. To sustain cooling by natural circulation, a modeled chimney and downcomer are included.