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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.
H. O. Menlove, R. H. Augustson, Darryl B. Smith
Nuclear Technology | Volume 10 | Number 3 | March 1971 | Pages 366-379
Technical Paper | Analysis | doi.org/10.13182/NT71-A30970
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A technique has been developed for the nondestructive assay of fissionable materials which makes use of the variations with energy in the fission cross section for a given isotope in order to produce a signature characteristic of that isotope. The technique consists of irradiating the sample with neutrons from an accelerator and measuring the delayed-neutron response from the induced fission reactions in the sample. Different neutron irradiation energies were obtained by surrounding a 14-MeV neutron source with various moderating assemblies. Assay results obtained using this delayed-neutron technique include the following: (a) uranium samples with enrichments ranging from ∼3 to 98%; (b) plutonium-uranium oxides; (c) 233u-232Th salt mixtures; (d) “spent” reactor fuel elements; and (e) scrap containers ranging in size from small vials to one-gallon cans containing plutonium or uranium scrap. In addition, measurements have been made on the influence of various nonfissionable matrix materials on the assay results.