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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.
Paul A. Howard, Juan J. Carbajo
Nuclear Technology | Volume 44 | Number 2 | July 1979 | Pages 210-220
Technical Paper | Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT79-A32256
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
An experimental study was made of the transient behavior of the coolant in a generalized outlet plenum after a scram in a liquid-metal fast breeder reactor. Different conditions of fluid flow rate and temperature and plenum geometry were used for a three-exit loop-type reactor system. Water was used to simulate the coolant, and a small-scale model was used to simulate the various generalized plenum configurations. Thermocouples monitored the temperatures at 48 locations within the outlet plenum. The thermohydraulic behavior within the plenum has been studied in detail; analysis of this behavior is described as having three consecutive discrete stages. Correlations found in the literature accurately predict the height of the negatively buoyant plume. New correlations have been obtained.