An innovative ultra sound examination has shown signs of more than1,500 defects at the aging aluminum core of the Dimona nuclear reactor, the Israeli radio reported Tuesday.

These findings were released by the reactor scientists at a scientific forum held in Tel Aviv this month.

The radio quoted Haaretz newspaper as saying that Israel received its nuclear reactor from France at the end of the1950s and it was put into operation for the first time at the end of 1963.

Such reactors are intended to be operational for about 40 years, to ensure they remain in one piece, it added.

The main problem with aging reactors is that the core is irreplaceable. The core absorbs a great deal of heat and radiation, which damages it over the years and raises many questions as to its ability to continue to operate, the radio added.

Source ; Petra