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Twelve days before Chernobyl

184.13.104.35
Posted on January 13, 2017 at 06:16:48
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

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Location: 50 miles west of DC
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 The US successfully tested a sodium cooled nuclear reactor. It ran 30 plus years trouble free since. The Sodium fluid in it, with potassium I believe, has a boiling point of over 1600F compared to waters 212. Also a company has a new design that even if power is lost can passively cool itself down without electricity all but eliminating the risk of nuclear power. Fukushima failed from losing power and it's back up generators.

More good news is that these newer designs can run on DU which is great since we have enough DU in Kentucky to give the whole US power for 700 years. The DU is created from the enrichment process we now use to create the concentrated pellets the reactors in use today require. An expensive process itself which would be eliminated.

Regulation needs to be changed as since Chernobyl almost no new nuclear power plants have been built in the US. Because of this regulation Bill Gates venture into this new technology is first being built in China.



ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

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Passive cooling, posted on January 13, 2017 at 06:57:13
John_the_Scot
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 The passive cooling you mention is a pump which is driven from the steam generated from the heat from the reactor, rater than being electrically powered. Apparently if Fukushima had these pumps installed, the disaster wouldn't have happened.

The pumps have been tested submerged in water, like after a Tsunami, and they continued to work.

I work for the company who designed and builds them.

 

RE: Passive cooling, posted on January 13, 2017 at 08:01:16
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
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 Exactly! A simple design that was overlooked as a solution


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Passive cooling, posted on January 13, 2017 at 08:22:12
Inmate51
 "if Fukushima had these pumps installed, the disaster wouldn't have happened. "

Let's not forget that if the earthquake and subsequent tsunami hadn't happened (which was basically a one-in-a-billion longshot), the disaster wouldn't have happened. But I understand your point, and that seems like a good idea in hindsight. What other disasters can we predict the odds for, and how much are we willing to spend to guard against them? It's important to remember that Fukushima was ONE natural disaster at ONE facility in the entire history of nuclear power generation. (Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were both man-made screw-ups.)

Contrast that to the 200,000 people who died in the Sri Lanka tsunami on Christmas back in 2004. No nukes, no human cause, just nature doing it's thing.
:)

 

RE: Twelve days before Chernobyl, posted on January 13, 2017 at 09:03:21
JoshT
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Posts: 6622
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Joined: July 4, 2000
 Why oh why do we always license our IP to China? Once they get it, we lose any really hope of protecting it.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."

 

Why oh why?...., posted on January 13, 2017 at 10:49:26
Steve O
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Posts: 12383
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
 ...Because western and esp US free enterprise capitalism is focused on short term gain. Bet you already knew that!

 

RE: Passive cooling, posted on January 13, 2017 at 14:04:35
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 It is well onown that the Fukashima site and the several others of the same design are the highest risk and should all be shut dowm.

No doubt too the quake and tsunami were the primary cause. Power lines fell on their side forcing back up power which in this case failed as well.

I posted mainly because going forward nuclear has gone from a no to a yes for me with being able to use DU and the new plant technology with sodium and passive cooling.

Cheers!


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

Yup!, posted on January 13, 2017 at 14:11:55
JoshT
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Posts: 6622
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Joined: July 4, 2000
 Self-inflicted wound. Infuriating.
___
"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."

 

You are wrong about the likelihood of a Tsunami in that area., posted on January 13, 2017 at 15:23:57
Timbo in Oz
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Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
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 A tsunami was a highly likely event well over 50%, the adjacent sea floor is well up the Japan graph for the likelihood of earthquakes and Tsunamis.

But this quake was a rare double release of fault lines, and close together. The Fukushima plant was the most vulnerable in the area, given its not wonderful control and protection systems.

LBNL the consequence was going to be horrendous, given the risky build, even for that reactor design.


Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

RE: You are wrong about the likelihood of a Tsunami in that area., posted on January 14, 2017 at 06:56:44
Inmate51
 I was speaking generally. Clearly, that area has a higher risk, as do some others. But with 450 reactors around the world, operating non-stop except for maintenance, that's 30 years x 365 days x 450 reactors since Chernobyl, that's 5 million operating days since Chernobyl, and there's been ONE major accident due to nature.

So, "one in a billion" is a stretch. Sue me.

:)

 

The one MAJOR accident was not due simply nor solely to nature., posted on January 14, 2017 at 09:27:34
Timbo in Oz
Audiophile

Posts: 23221
Location: Canberra - in the ACT - SE Australia
Joined: January 30, 2002
 It happened because Japan's governance allowed a not very safe reactor to be built, in a not at all safe place for that kind of reactor to be.

Consequence is why we risk manage.

For me, concern about consequence in relation to nuclear power, is sensible, reasonable and pertinent.


Warmest

Tim Bailey

Skeptical Measurer & Audio Scrounger


 

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