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North Carolina nuclear stations- danger of spent nuclear fuel over-heating , in the event of an accident

Steve Dale  Nuclear Fuel Cycle Watch South Australia,  14 Sept 18       This report on North Carolina reactors by the Union of Concerned Scientists –
“Today more than 3,400 metric tons of spent fuel is stored in North Carolina. Over 85% of that spent fuel is stored in large pools of water called spent fuel pools, which are equipped with systems to cool the water that surrounds the hot fuel rods.”
“While concerns about nuclear power safety often focus on the fuel in the reactor core, spent fuel stored in pools also can be a major source of radioactivity during an accident. If water drains from the pool for even a few hours or the cooling system is interrupted for several days, the spent fuel could overheat and its cladding could break open, releasing radioactive material. And because the pools are located outside the thick, concrete containment walls, it is more likely that this radioactive material would reach the environment”

The report was done back in 2011, so not sure if things have improved since then. https://www.ucsusa.org/…/nuclear-power-safety-in-north…   https://www.facebook.com/groups/1021186047913052/permalink/2113650401999939/?comment_id=2114177665280546&notif_id=1536813900482985&notif_t=group_comment

September 14, 2018 - Posted by | safety, USA, wastes

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