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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.
C. A. Gentile, S. Raftopoulos, P. LaMarche, M. Viola, T. Walters, M. Kalish, T. Kozub, H. Carnevale, D. Shaltis, S. Vinson, W. Walker, L. Ciebiera, R. Yager, M. Quigley, R. Meagher, C. Bunting, E. Rogers, M. Casey, R. Hawes, R. Raucci, D. Reeves, E Amarescu, M. Gibson, T. Granger, S. Langish, S. Bush, J. Langford, D. Hyatt, J. L. Anderson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 1564-1566
Safety and Environment | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963173
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor which is the progenitor for full D-T operating tokamaks has successfully processed > 81 grams of tritium in a safe and efficient fashion. Many of the fundamental operational techniques associated with the safe movement of tritium through the TFTR facility were developed over the course of many years at DOE tritium facilities (LANL, LLNL, SRS, Mound). In the mid 1980's The Tritium Systems Test Assembly (TSTA) at LANL began reporting operational techniques for the safe handling of tritium, and became a major conduit for the transfer of safe tritium handling technology from DOE weapons laboratories to non-weapon facilities. TFTR has built on many of the TSTA operational techniques and has had the opportunity of performing and enhancing these techniques at America's first operational D-T fusion reactor. This paper will discuss negative pressure employing “elephant trunks” in the control and mitigation of tritium contamination at the TFTR facility, and the interaction between contaminated line operations and Δ pressure control. In addition the strategy employed in managing the movement of tritium through TFTR while maintaining an active tritium inventory of < 50,000 Ci will be discussed.