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UK National Nuclear Laboratory says Thorium nuclear reactors risky

The Thorium Fuel Cycle – Summary An independent assessment by the UK National Nuclear Laboratory Summary NNL believes that the thorium fuel cycle does not currently have a role to play in the UK context, other than its potential application for plutonium management in the medium to long term and depending on the indigenous thorium reserves, is likely to have only a limited role internationally for some years ahead.

The technology is innovative, although technically immature and currently not of interest to the utilities, representing significant financial investment and risk without notable benefits. In many cases, the benefits of the thorium fuel cycle have been over-stated.
http://www.nnl.co.uk/media/27860/nnl__1314092891_thorium_cycle_position_paper.pdf

September 12, 2012 Posted by | technology, UK | Leave a comment

Thorium’s radioactive fission products

the fission products from a Thorium reactor are a worry, Technetium-99 has a half life of 220,000 years, uranium-232 produces thallium-208 (a nasty wee gamma emitter), Selenium-79 (another gamma emitter with a 327,000 year half-life), evenThorium-232 is a problem with its half life of 14 Billion years (and while the T-232 isn’t a major worry, all the time during this 14 Billion years it will be decaying and producing stuff that is!).

Thorium Cycle questions and problems http://daryanenergyblog.wordpress.com/ca/part-8-msr-lftr/8-3-thorium-lftr/ Questions have also been raised by some nuclear scientists about the Thorium cycle, in particular the proposed one that the LFTR would use. I’m not a nuclear physicist so I’ll merely forward you on to the relevant paper here , and a rebuttal here . The crux of the argument seems to be the proliferation risk (I’ll come back to that one later), the fact that a number of its spend fuel outputs (such as Technetium-99) are “nasty stuff” with a long half life and the fact we’ll still need supplies of Uranium to get Thorium reactors going again whenever we have to turn it off (which will happen at least once a year or so during its annual maintenance shutdown). They also highlight a number of technical issues, which I discussed in the chapter on HTGR’s. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | Reference, Uranium, wastes | 1 Comment

Our uranium fuelled Fukushima – an Australian expresses shame

Australian uranium is now radioactive fallout that is contaminating Japan and beyond — but the response of the Australian government, Australian uranium producers and their industry association has been profoundly and shamefully deficient. Prime Minister Gillard speaks of business as usual, Resources Minister Martin Ferguson talks of the ‘unfortunate incident’ and the more bullish of the uranium miners have called the crisis a ‘sideshow’.

Fukushima and Australia’s uranium shame INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIA 11 September 2012 marked 18 months since the Fukushima crisis began. Dave Sweeney has just been to the radiation exclusion zone and is horrified by what he’s seen.

The signs that all is not as it was or should be start gently enough: weeds appear in fields, the roadside vegetation covers signs and structures and there are few people about. The country looks peaceful, green and sleepy — then the radiation monitor two seats away wakes up and starts clicking…..

Fukushima means ‘fortunate island’ ― but the region’s luck melted down alongside the reactor. Over 150,000 people cannot return to their homes and last September a United Nation’s special report detailed some of the massive impacts: ‘hundreds of billions of dollars of property damage’, ‘serious radioactive contamination of water, agriculture , fisheries’ and ‘grave stress and mental trauma’ to a swathe of people. Lives have been utterly disrupted and altered and the Fukushima nuclear accident was and remains a profound environmental and social tragedy…….

An earnest teacher is happy that the local school has re-opened, but sad that while once around two hundred and fifty kids used to attend, now there are sixteen. The local Mayor picks up the theme stating ‘we have very few young people or children’. Radiation hits hardest at growing cells and many parents are understandably concerned and have moved. The old remain and, in the absence of the young, the old look older. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

Pro Thorium astroturf pervading cyberspace

George Monbiot bites Thorium bait  http://www.joabbess.com/2011/05/10/george-monbiot-bites-thorium-bait/ May 10th, 2011 Jo

George Monbiot in his new role as an apologist for the twice-bailed-out-of-insolvency British Nuclear Power industry, has now taken the Thorium bait, quite probably the most well-funded piece of astroturfing propaganda in existence…

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | 1 Comment

Nuclear industry says it will take 40 years to decommission Fukushima nuclear reactors

It will take 40 years, the nuclear industry says, to decommission the reactors. (Not the 6 months the industry claimed would be required to bring the “slightly damaged” reactors back online.)

Slow progress containing problems at Fukushima, new ones arise   http://nuclearhistory.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/slow-progress-containing-problems-at-fukushima-new-ones-arise/  September 11, 2012 The Asahi Shimbun Japan By TAKASHI SUGIMOTO/ Staff Writer The operator is having difficulty pumping water into destroyed reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, tanks are rapidly filling with radioactive water, and hundreds of potentially volatile uranium fuel assemblies remain in a precarious storage pool that some warn could collapse in another strong earthquake. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012, Reference, safety | Leave a comment

Cesium found in deep subsea mud along West coast of Japan

Asahi: “Significant quantity” of cesium detected along West Coast of Japan — Concentrations rise as it gets deeper http://enenews.com/asahi-significant-quantity-of-cesium-detected-along-west-coast-of-japan-concentrations-rise-as-it-gets-deeper 
 September 11th, 2012  By ENENews 
Title: Radioactive fallout detected far from Fukushima 
Source: Asahi Shimbun
Author: NOBUTARO KAJI
Date: September 11, 2012
A significant quantity of radioactive cesium, likely from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, has turned up in subsea mud about 200 kilometers away, near the mouth of the Shinanogawa River on Japan’s northwestern coast.
Scientists said samples taken in 2011 at Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, contained concentrations of up to 460 becquerels per kilogram of dry mud

[…]

The highest concentration was 2-3 cm below the mud surface at a water depth of 30 m. That reading of 460 becquerels per kg compares to samples of over 400 becquerels around the mouth of the Arakawa river in Tokyo Bay in August 2011.

Both readings are dozens of times higher than contamination detected after past atmospheric nuclear tests.

At a depth of 20 m the maximum concentration was 318 becquerels per kg, while at 15 m it was 255 becquerels.

[…]

September 12, 2012 Posted by | Japan, oceans | Leave a comment

Radiation load on Fukushima cleanup workers

Tepco admits it will run out of workers in 5 years unless a way is found to reduce radiation exposure (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/nhk-tepco-says-it-will-run-out-of-help-in-5-years-unless-it-finds-a-way-to-reduce-workers-radiation-exposure-video 
September 11th, 2012  By ENENews 
Title: One and half years after Fukushima accident
Source: NHK WORLD English
Date: Sep. 10, 2012

“Tepco managers have had a tough time attracting workers. They say they will run out of help in 5 years unless they can find a way to reduce workers’ exposure to radiation.” -NHK Transcript

One and a half years have passed since the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Tokyo Electric Power Company has many problems to overcome before achieving its promise to decommission the crippled plant in about 40 years.

[…]

TEPCO also wonders if it can secure enough workers for the next 5 years. It said it will see a shortage of workers unless it finds ways for them to avoid exposure to radiation.

September 12, 2012 Posted by | Fukushima 2012 | Leave a comment

Cesium increasing in Tochigi environment

Cesium from incineration ash of normal garbage is not decreasing in Tochigi, Fukushima Diary  by Mochizuki   September 10th, 2012 ·   It has been 16 months since 311, but still high level of cesium is found in incineration ash of normal garbage. It means a certain amount of cesium is still coming from Fukushima. Other nuclides are not analyzed.

From the beginning of 2012, cesium from incineration ash is not decreasing in Ashikaga city, Tochigi. (185km from Fukushima) As the whole ecosystem, cesium is being accumulated in the environment.

On 8/30/2012, Ashikaga city government published the data of cesium detected from incineration ash. The incineration ash is not from disaster debris, only from normal garbage.

The cesium (Cs-134/137) amount in the total of fly ash and incineration ash is like below…… http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/09/cesium-from-incineration-ash-of-normal-garbage-is-not-decreasing-in-tochigi/#.UE4am9o5ekc.facebook

September 12, 2012 Posted by | environment, Japan | Leave a comment

Kawasaki city serves students radioactive lunches

Kawasaki city mayor, “School serves radioactive lunch for educational
purpose.” http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/09/kawasaki-city-mayor-school-serves-radioactive-lunch-for-educational-purpose/#.UE6PhZVElhg.facebook  by Mochizuki on September 10th, 2012 · Schools keep serving contaminated lunch for the students and they
don’t even solve the problem. (cf. Cesium from finished school lunch in Miyagi) Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | Japan, Religion and ethics | Leave a comment

San Onofre nuclear decommissioning funds may go into risky investments

 

CHANGES EYED FOR NUCLEAR-PLANT MONEY, UT San Diego 10 Sept 12 Rules on investment of decommissioning trust funds may be loosened. Utility regulators are considering loosening strict investment restrictions on money set aside for the eventual dismantling of California’s two nuclear plants. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, USA | 2 Comments

Did you know that USA has a Green Party?

SO YOU’RE NOT HAPPY with Obama but you’re worried that Romney might
win. Scott McLarty Green Party We’re all afraid of the GOP, but it’s time to be afraid of the
Democrats too. Both parties keep moving further to the right.

The result is more war, more corporate power & redistribution of wealth from working Americans to the One Percent, more erosion of the Constitution, more disregard of global warming & other threats to our planet. This describes Obama as well as Romney. We can keep rubberstamping the two-party status quo for the rest of history. Or we can build a strong pro-peace pro-environment party that supports working people & accepts no corporate money. We can start by voting for local, state, & national Green candidates like Jill Stein.

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

INS (InternationalNuclear Services ) second class safety for MOX transport

INS (InternationalNuclear Services — a subsidiary of the NDA) appears hell-bent on
shipping this MOX fuel to Germany on a third-hand ship with second class safety and kept afloat on first class INS PR alone

International Nuclear Services Putting Business Before Safety http://lifeboat.com/blog/2012/09/international-nuclear-services-putting-business-before-safety by Tom Kerwick  Whilst I was checking up on C.O.R.E. (Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment) this weekend, I read of latest plans to ship plutonium MOX fuel assemblies from Sellafield to the small German port of Nordenham near Bremerhaven on the NDA’s (Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) ageing ship Atlantic Osprey. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | safety, UK | Leave a comment

Survivors of Hiroshima atomic bomb attack visit Israel, hold protest against nuclear arms WP  September 10 JERUSALEM — A group of survivors from the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack have held a protest in Jerusalem calling for the end of nuclear weapons.

The group visited Jerusalem holy sites on Monday and held signs reading “Nuclear Abolition” in Japanese….. Sixty-nine-year-old Hiroshima survivor Nagayama Iwao says “any use of the atom (bomb) should be forbidden, even for intimidation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/survivors-of-hiroshima-atomic-bomb-attack-visit-israel-hold-protest-against-nuclear-arms/2012/09/10/64a0e1ea-fb63-11e1-98c6-ec0a0a93f8eb_story.html

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

“The world today produces 70 — 80 million cars every year. We only need four million turbines once every 30 years,” Jacobson reasoned, arguing it was certainly feasible….

Study says wind could power the world  Perth Now, AAP September 11, 2012  THERE’S enough wind to power the world many times over but it would take a massive infrastructure investment to harness it that analysts say is not realistic. Continue reading →

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

China to double solar capacity target by 2015 China to double the installed solar power capacity target by 2015 to 40GW, which is a development indicator in the 12th five year plan of the world’s second-largest economy,the 21st Century Business Herald reported….http://www.morningwhistle.com/html/2012/Company_Industry_0911/213962.html

September 12, 2012 Posted by | general | Leave a comment

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