An innovative ultrasound examination has shown signs of 1,537 defects at the aging aluminum core of the Dimona nuclear reactor, according to study findings released at a scientific forum held in Tel Aviv this month.

Fears for the condition of the reactor were palpable at the conference, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Tuesday.

Israel received its nuclear reactor from France at the end of the 1950s 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.

The main problem with aging reactors is that the core is irreplaceable. The core, which houses the fuel rods where nuclear fission takes place, absorbs a great deal of heat and radiation. These damage it over the years, raising many questions as to its ability to continue to operate.

Source: MENA