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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.
Mohamed S. El-Genk, Huimin Xue, Dmitry Paramonov
Nuclear Technology | Volume 105 | Number 1 | January 1994 | Pages 70-86
Technical Paper | Special on Nuclear Criticality Safety / Nuclear Reactor Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT94-A34912
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The thermionic transient analysis model is used to simulate the startup of the TOPAZ-II space nuclear power system in orbit. The simulated startup procedures are assumed for the purpose of demonstrating the capabilities of the model and may not represent an accurate account of the actual startup procedures of the TOPAZ-II system. The temperature reactivity feedback effects of the moderator, UO2 fuel, electrodes, coolant, and other components in the core are calculated, and their effects on the thermal and criticality conditions of the reactor are investigated. Also, estimates of the time constants of the temperature reactivity feedback for the UO2fuel and the ZrH moderator during startup, as well as of the total temperature reactivity feedback as a function of the reactor steady-state thermal power, are obtained.