The very real risk of Hanford nuclear waste tanks exploding
The nuclear safety board warned about the risk of explosion to Wyden, who wanted comment on the safety and operation of Hanford’s tanks, technical issues that have been raised about the design of a plant to treat the waste in those tanks, and Hanford’s overall safety culture.
Hanford Nuclear Waste Tanks Could Explode, Agency Warns http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/02/hanford-nuclear-waste-could-explode_n_3001134.html?utm_hp_ref=green includes video By SHANNON DININNY 04/02/13 YAKIMA, Wash. — Underground tanks that hold a stew of toxic, radioactive waste at the nation’s most contaminated nuclear site pose a possible risk of explosion, a nuclear safety board said in advance of confirmation hearings for the next leader of the Energy Department.
State and federal officials have long known that hydrogen gas could build up inside the tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, leading to an explosion that would release radioactive material. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board recommended additional monitoring and ventilation of the tanks last fall, and federal officials were working to develop a plan to implement the recommendation.
The board expressed those concerns again Monday to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who is chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and had sought the board’s perspective about cleanup at Hanford. Continue reading
Nuclear Regulatory Commission not facing up to flood risks
Nuclear Power Flood Risk: NRC Insiders Say Agency Continues To Look The Other Way HUFFINGON POST Tom Zeller Jr. 03/29/2013 According to findings made public earlier this month, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently uncovered potentially significant flooding vulnerabilities at two Tennessee nuclear power plants and, after a thorough investigation, the agency aggressively sanctioned the errant operator for several safety violations — although the facilities were permitted to continue operating.
An internal document quietly released this week by the agency, however, suggests that some NRC employees with extensive knowledge of the threat believe the agency is violating its own regulatory mission by allowing at least one reactor to stay online, given the potential for flooding that would likely hobble core cooling equipment and possibly trigger a meltdown.
The odds of this happening, of course, are small. But the NRC is reviewing a variety of risks at United States nuclear power plants in the aftermath of the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima-Daiichi facility in Japan, which succumbed to a rare but devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Among the risks being considered by the agency is the potential at several U.S. plants on inland waterways to suffer damage if upstream dams are breached or otherwise fail.
Concerns that the NRC was not acting swiftly or decisively enough on the upstream dam risk were raised late last year by two other engineers inside the agency. Steps are being taken to shore up flood defenses at several plants, but no facility has been shuttered by regulators as a result of the heightened scrutiny.
In a memo dated March 19 and posted to the NRC website on Monday, Carl F. Lyon and Patrick D. Milano, both members of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, argue that a rare but consequential rainfall is all that would be needed to disable cooling systems for a reactor at the Watts Bar nuclear station — referred to as “WBN Unit 1” — near Spring City, Tenn.
“Only the probable maximum precipitation event, without a concurrent earthquake or tsunami or any other accident,” the two employees wrote, “is needed at WBN Unit 1 to produce a loss of all decay heat removal systems.”…… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/29/nuclear-power-flood-risk_n_2979098.html
How wildlife can, and does, damage nuclear reactors
Wildlife vs U.S. nuclear plants: Flies short-out transformer — Pelican starts emergency generator — Snake causes fire — Bird shuts down reactor… more http://enenews.com/wildlife-incidents-at-u-s-nuclear-plants-flies-short-out-power-transformer-pelican-starts-emergency-generator-snake-causes-fire-fish-block-water-intake-more
March 27th, 2013
Title: Fission Stories #133: Mayflies, and Squirrels, and Rats
Source: All Things Nuclear (Union of Concerned Scientists)
Author: Dave Lochbaum, director, Nuclear Safety Project
Date: March 26, 2013
[…] one wonders about the havoc that an individual saboteur or a team of bad guys might be able to cause by malicious intent. Could well-trained and heavily armed attackers cause more devastation than a furry little squirrel or a pesky rat? […]
Selected incidents at U.S. nuclear plants:
Pelican started an emergency diesel generator
Bird caused […] shut down […] after it landed in the switchyard containing electrical cables connecting the plant to its offsite electrical power grid
Snake slithering onto an overhead power cable […] caused a short that caught the wooden pole holding the cable on fire
“A large number of small forage fish” blocked the screens at the intake structure
Squirrel caused an electrical short in the main power transformer.
Bunch of jellyfish blocked the screens at the intake station
Mayflies caused a power transformer to short out
Full report here
See also: Tepco: Animal caused extended power outage at Fukushima Daiichi — Nearly a foot long (PHOTO)
Fears in Ukraine that ageing nuclear reactors will be kept going
Nuclear Safety Plan Has Ukrainians Worried By Pavol Stracansky KIEV, Mar 27 2013 (IPS) – A 300 million euro loan to improve nuclear safety in the Ukraine has been attacked by environmental groups who say it will instead be used to keep ageing reactors working well beyond their planned lifespans – increasing the risks of a nuclear accident – while doing nothing to address serious issues with the country’s energy intensity.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which approved the loan earlier this month, has said that the money will be used to upgrade safety at nuclear plants to international standards.
But environmentalists say it will instead be used by state energy company Energoatom to keep open or restart ageing reactors and that the EBRD should be helping the Ukraine move away from nuclear power and support renewable energy projects.
Iryna Holovko of the pan-European Bankwatch NGO, which together with other environmental groups has opposed the loan, told IPS: “Energoatom and the Ukrainian government is imposing another 20 years of additional nuclear risk – because of the increased risks associated with ageing of reactors – on the people of Ukraine without developing or offering an alternative option.”….
Environmental groups in the Ukraine point to an accident at the Rivne nuclear power plant’s Reactor 1. Its original lifespan had expired at the end of 2010 but it was given an extension for 20 years. One month later there was an accident, although no radiation leaked…… http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/03/nuclear-safety-plan-has-ukrainians-worried/
31 USA nuclear power plants must upgrade ventilation systems
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Orders Power Plant Vent Upgrades, But Falls Short Of Requiring Filters HUFFINGTON POST, By MATTHEW DALY 03/19/13 WASHINGTON — U.S. nuclear power plants must upgrade ventilation systems at 31 reactors with designs similar to those that melted down two years ago in Japan, under a Nuclear Regulatory Commission order that stops short of requiring filtered vents, as some safety advocates and NRC’s staff had urged.
The filters are required in Japan and much of Europe, but U.S. utilities say they are unnecessary and expensive. Continue reading
New York Symposium will hear the story of radiation contaminated US Navy men
The Story of Two Contaminated Navy Navigators,Fukushima and the Health Effects of Low Dose Radiation MARCH 06, 2013http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/03/06/fukushima-and-the-health-effects-of-low-dose-radiation/ by JOHN LaFORGE March 11 and 12, the Helen Caldicott Foundation is convening a symposium at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City, “The Medical and Ecological Consequences of the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.”
Media attention may be brought to the gathering because of two US Navy navigators who will speak about their radioactive contamination while aboard the air craft carrier USS Reagan. They weren’t exposed by working around the carriers’ two Westinghouse propulsion reactors.
Navigators Maruice Enis, from Rochester, Minnesota, and Jamie Plym, from St. Agustine, Florida, were contaminated when Tokyo Electric Power Company reactors released unprecedented amounts of radiation to the air and the sea following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami beginning March 11, 2011. Four of Tepco’s six Fukushima-Daiichi reactors were wrecked. Continue reading
“Radiation leaking” from Kudankulam nuclear power plant
Kudankulam plant ‘leaking radiation’ since Feb 27, Deccan Herald,
Colombo, Mar 2, 2013 Days after India dismissed as “baseless” reports
about radiation leaks at the yet to be commissioned Kudankulam Nuclear
Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, a Sri Lankan interest group on Saturday
alleged that the atomic power station has been leaking radiation since
February 27.
The People’s Movement Against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, in a
statement, urged officials here to bare the truth.They held the
government of Sri Lanka responsible for turning a blind eye to
radiation threats from Kudankulam…..
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/316125/kudankulam-plant-leaking-radiation-feb.html
Danger to Sri Lanka from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Lanka seeks protection from Indian radiation http://www.emirates247.com/news/sri-lanka/lanka-seeks-protection-from-indian-radiation-2013-02-23-1.496099, February 23, 2013 Even before being commissioned, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant had developed leaks and leading environmentalists have urged the Indian government to protect Sri Lanka from the nuclear power plant, ‘The Island’ reported. Continue reading
Iran nuclear explosion Jan 21 – radiation now leaking
RADIATION LEAKING FROM IRAN’S NUKE EXPLOSION, WND, by REZA KAHLILI, 25 FEB 13, Islamic regime fears poisonous fallout clouds could hit cities Radiation is leaking from Iran’s nuclear facility at Fordow, which suffered devastating explosions on Jan. 21, WND has learned, and the regime has ordered millions of antidote iodine pills from Russia and Ukraine amid fears the radioactivity will spread.
Many of the personnel, who arrived after the explosion to assist with the cleanup at the site, have been taken to a military hospital suffering from headache, nausea and vomiting, according to a source in the security forces protecting Fordow.
A special team of nuclear experts was ordered to the site days ago, the source said, and detected high levels of radiation. The number of confirmed dead from the explosions has risen to 76, said the source, who provided exclusively to WND the names of 14 Iranian scientists and one North Korean who died in the blasts.
Security forces have arrested 17 high-ranking officers, including majors and colonels, over the incident and summarily executed Maj. Ali Montazernia, a member of the security forces in charge at Fordow.
The Islamic regime has put up a wall of silence surrounding the explosions, but with the possibility of radioactive fallout creating grave health and environmental disasters in the nearby holy city of Qom and other surrounding cities, it may not be able to maintain the secret, the source suggested. Continue reading
UK nuclear submarine leaked radiation in Scottish waters
Radiation leak on nuclear sub off Scots coast Express UK , February 17, 2013 BRITAIN’S?nuclear?fleet?suffered?a?dangerous setback after a submarine was docked for emergency repairs following a radiation leak off Scotland. By: Marco Giannangeli HMS Tireless was taking part in a training exercise for new officers off the west coast 10 days ago when a problem developed in its ageing 30-year-old reactor system. Continue reading
Cyber terrorism dangers for USA nuclear weapons laboratory
NUCLEAR LAB REMAINS VULNERABLE TO CYBERSTRIKES, ENERGY IG SAYS, Nextgov, 15 Feb 13, A leading U.S. nuclear arms site has taken significant steps in recent years to defend against strikes on its computer systems, but key weaknesses remain to be fixed, the Energy Department’s inspector general said this week.
The Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico uses a host of information systems and networks to carry out its duties, which include research and production programs in support of maintaining the nation’s nuclear arsenal, Inspector General Gregory Friedman said in a memorandum attached to a cybersecurity report. Continue reading
Savannah Rivers Site’s aging cracked spent nuclear fuel containers
KEY FINDINGS
Here are some key findings from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board’s report on older spent nuclear fuel assemblies:
• Oxide formation can cause handling problems due to sludge formation.
• Hydrogen gas accumulation can form “hydrides” that can spontaneously ignite in air.
• Cladding has ruptured, is missing, or was breached – allowing direct contact with water.
• Sealed cans that hold fuel initially packaged dry have leaked, allowing water inside.
• Fuel is stored in cans whose designs are vulnerable to developing leaks.
NRC plans for San Onofre nuclear safety report be made public
San Onofre: Mitsubishi told to hand over nuclear plant report LA Times, February 14, 2013 The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has asked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to hand over a redacted version of a proprietary report on equipment issues at the now-shuttered San Onofre nuclear plant.
The commission, which has already reviewed the full report, said it intends to make the redacted version public. Continue reading
What if India had a nuclear disaster?
Tamil terrorists from Sri Lanka are now in India. They are highly resourceful and fully cognizant of the spectacular impact they can create. A terrorist attack on an Indian nuclear plant will dwarf the Chernobyl disaster
A Nuclear Disaster Will Trigger Disintegration of India Lanjaweb, February 10th, 2013 Dilrook Kannangara According to Gorbachev, the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster has a lot to do in the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. He revealed this in a book he wrote. Previously his Glasnost program was blamed in most part for the fall. But the veteran explains how people demanded more transparency from the government following the disaster which forced the government to come up with the Glasnost program. Obviously economic woes and inevitable change took over the momentum but the trigger could well be the Chernobyl (in the Republic of Ukraine) disaster in April 1986. It highlighted the fallibility of the Union that won most of its wars and its leaders projected to be in total charge.
Triggers Within and Without….. Though India boasts to be the world’s largest democracy, its people hardly enjoy democratic rights. Freedom of expression has been severely curtailed through state controlled or influenced media entities. Dissent on national issues is not tolerated. Old friends including Russia have been marginalised with France and USA emerging as India’s new bedfellows.
A Nuclear Disaster Continue reading
Major nuclear accident in France – unlikely, but would be catastrophic
A “major” accident, rated 7 on the INES scale and similar to the 1986
Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine and Japan’s Fukushima, however, would be
a “catastrophe,” that would “strongly and durably traumatize the
country,” it said.
The health impact from the release of radioactive material would be
severe, the contamination of land would be long-lasting and
neighboring countries would be affected.
Major nuclear accident would cost France $580 billion: study By
Michel Rose SAINT-PAUL-LES-DURANCE, France Feb 6, 2013 (Reuters)
“……The IRSN and former World Bank economist unveiled two disaster
scenarios prompting a core meltdown at a typical 900-megawatt (MW)
French nuclear reactor.
A “serious” accident, rated 6 on the one-to-seven INES scale used by
the International Atomic Energy Agency and one notch higher than the
Three Mile Island accident of 1979 in the United States, would cost
France about 120 billion euros ($162 billion), or 6 percent of its
gross domestic product (GDP).
The consequences – with up to 10,000 people ousted from contaminated
zones – would be “manageable”, the IRSN said. Continue reading
1 This Month
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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