SMRs – Small Modular nuclear Reactors the latest probably dud design
Small Modular Reactors, the latest ‘rabbit out the nuclear hat’ are generally based on scaled down BWR or PWR technology and illustrate the nuclear industry’s schizophrenic attitude to reactor size.
SMRs may turn out to be the latest in a long lineof nuclear designs that looked good on paper, but could not make the transition to commercial technology.
Prospects for Nuclear Power in 2012, Platts, London, 30 January 2012 “……..Technological cul-de-sac If plant life extensions can be achieved in France and the US and Gen III+ does prove a blind alley, it raises the question of what options are open to the nuclear sector. Ten years ago, the industry answer would have been Generation IV designs. Unlike Gen III+, which evolved from existing Pressurised and Boiling Water Reactors, these would be based on radical new technologies. Six technologies were selected by the major nuclear countries as the most promising.
Little regulation of increasing non-medical use of radiation
Customs and the New York Police Department have deployed unmarked X-ray vans that can drive to a location and look inside vehicles for drugs and explosives.
The FDA has little authority to regulate the use of electronic products emitting radiation. Because security scanners are not classified as medical devices, the agency doesn’t approve them for safety before sale.
the scanners fall under voluntary guidelines set by a nonprofit group made up largely of
manufacturers and agencies that wanted to use the X-ray machines.
Drive-by X-rays: Security screeners expanding radiation use Michael Grabell, Tucson Sentinel, ProPublica, 2 Feb 12, U.S. law enforcement agencies are exposing people to radiation in more settings and in increasing doses to screen for explosives, weapons and
drugs.
In addition to the controversial airport body scanners, which are now deployed for routine screening, various X-ray devices have proliferated at the border, in prisons and on the streets of New York.
Not only have the machines become more widespread, but some of themexpose people to higher doses of radiation. And agencies have pushed the boundaries of acceptable use by X-raying people covertly, according to government documents and interviews. Continue reading
Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s State of the Art Spin on ionising radiation
Nuclear accidents pose little risk to health: NRC The study found there was “essentially zero risk” to the public of early fatalities due to radiation exposure following a severe accident.
The long-term risk of dying from cancer due to radiation exposure after an accident was less than one in a billion and less than the U.S. average risk of dying from other causes of cancer, which is about two in one thousand.
The study, called the State-of-the-Art Reactor Consequence Analyses (SOARCA), looked at the radiological health consequences for potential severe accidents at Exelon Corp’s Peach Bottom nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and Dominion’s Surry nuclear plant in Virginia.
USA radioactive leaks from nuclear reactors
the regulations in place for American facilities are actually more lax than one would expect.
the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has repeatedly weakened safety requirements for facilities, regularly allowing antiquated plants to continue operating by making it easier to pass
tests in lieu of actually upgrading the facility.
California nuclear plant shut down over radioactive leaks, RT Question More, 01 February, 2012, A leak at a Southern California nuclear facility that regularly provides power to roughly 1.4 million households has caused the plant to shut down a reactor.
Despite officials insisting that everything will be perfectly alright at the San Onofre nuclear site, this is not the first time as of late that power plants have raised serious questions about their safety in America. Continue reading
World’s most costly and slow environmental cleanup – Hanford nuclear waste
Hanford Site: Radiation Levels High, Plant Progress Slow, Care 2, by Joel Boyce January 30, 2012 “…..At the Hanford nuclear waste site in Washington, a 10-year project to create a functioning treatment plant has already tripled its expected budget, and at $12.3 billion so far, the costs are still continuing to grow. According to USA Today, the project is both the most costly and the most complicated environmental cleanup ever attempted.
The plant was originally supposed to be in operation last year, but it’s already been delayed to 2019, and could easily take years more, and who knows how many more billions of dollars beyond that. Engineers interviewed in the story spoke of inherent design problems and official concerns that an uncontrolled nuclear reaction could occur inside the plant. There is no less than 56 million gallons of nuclear waste waiting to be processed, but one senior scientist says they’re still trying to move forwards with their “failed design.”
NPR covered a leaked report that revealed radiation levels in the area are higher than previously believed. The nuclear sludge is currently being stored in old underground tanks that were never intended to be a permanent solution. If they begin to leak and get into ground water, the area affected could be huge. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire is urging the department of energy to hurry up with this already far-delayed project. “The Columbia River is at stake, all of that area and its vitality.”
The sad thing is this incredible quantity of nuclear waste is not even the by-product of useful energy, but the massive nuclear stockpiles produced by the US throughout the Cold War. Hanford is where Manhattan Project scientists first initiated plutonium production for some of the first atomic bombs, including “Fat Man,” dropped on Nagasaki (“Little Boy”, dropped on Hiroshima, was a simpler uranium-235 bomb). It remained open as a plutonium production site until 1968.
At its height, the US had an arsenal of some 60, 000 nuclear weapons, enough to destroy the world thousands of times over. Subsequent treaty agreements saw both the US and former Soviet Union begin to downsize their nuclear arsenals. Meanwhile, however, the overwhelming quantities of waste remain.
More time, money, and research will be needed, it seems, to erase this very messy mistake. http://www.care2.com/causes/hanford-site-radiation-levels-high-plant-progress-slow.html#ixzz1lAK7uaZu
New study on earthquake risks near USA nuclear plants
Quakes and U.S. Reactors: An Analytic Tool, NYT. By MATTHEW L. WALD With the release of a computer model of all known geologic faults east of Denver, nearly all of the nuclear power plants in the United States are about to embark on a broad re-evaluation of their vulnerability to earthquakes. The new mapping is the first major update of the fault situation for plants since 1989.
The map has been in preparation since 2008, well before the earthquake and tsunami that caused three meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan last March or the quake near Mineral, Va., last summer that shook a twin-reactor plant beyond the degree expected. Still, those events have lent urgency to the effort to assess the American plants’ ability to withstand quakes.
The new study does not calculate the risk of damage from an earthquake or even specify how much ground motion is likely at the reactor sites. That work is left to the plants’ owners, supervised by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The industry began to realize after the Fukushima disaster that engineers do not have a strong understanding of which structures and systems at the plants are most vulnerable…..
Not everyone is pleased with the route that the commission is taking when it comes to future construction. David Lochbaum, a reactor expert with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that the agency had already approved sites for new reactors and designs for new reactors based on computer analyses of earthquake hazards.
If considerable study is needed on the quake vulnerability of existing reactors, he argues, the uncertainty surrounding the soundness of future plants must be even greater. “How can we know more about the reactors that haven’t been built than the ones that have been built?’’ he said. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/quakes-and-u-s-reactors-an-analytic-tool/
New costly earthquake security could close some US nuclear plants
New Quake Risks Seen for Nuclear Plants WSJ, By REBECCA SMITH, JANUARY 31, 2012, Nuclear reactors in the central and eastern U.S. face previously unrecognized threats from big earthquakes, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday. Experts said upgrading the plants to withstand more substantial earth movements would be costly and could
force some to close. Continue reading
USA Dept of Energy’s poor record on nuclear waste management
Nuclear waste management needs new agency, says commission http://www.fiercehomelandsecurity.com/story/nuclear-waste-management-needs-new-agency-says-commission/2012-01-30 Fierce Homeland Security January 30, 2012 — By David Perera The Energy Department’s poor record on nuclear waste management means the federal government should set up a new, congressionally chartered federal corporation to take over dedicated responsibility for the matter, says a final set of recommendations from a blue ribbon commission chartered by President Obama in 2010.
The panel’s report, released Jan. 26, characterizes the overall record of U.S. nuclear waste management as one of “broken promises and unmet commitments.” Continue reading
Illinois nuclear reactor shut down
Reactor shuts down, releases steam at Illinois nuclear plant after losing outside power Washington Post, Associated Press, January 30 BYRON, Ill. — A nuclear reactor at a northern Illinois plant shut down Monday after losing power, and steam was being vented to reduce pressure, according to officials from Exelon Nuclear and federal regulators.
Unit 2 at Byron Generating Station shut down around 10:18 a.m., after losing power from an off-site source, Exelon officials said. Diesel generators began supplying power to the plant equipment and operators began releasing steam from the non-nuclear side of the plant to help
cool the reactor, officials said.
Even though the turbine is not turning to produce electricity, “you still need to cool the equipment.” said U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng. Releasing steam helps “take away some of that energy still being produced by nuclear reaction but that doesn’t have anywhere to go now.”
The steam contains low levels of radioactive tritium, but the levels are safe for workers and the public, federal and plant officials said….. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/reactor-shuts-down-releases-steam-at-illinois-nuclear-plant-after-losing-outside-power/2012/01/30/gIQALf13cQ_story.html
USA’s Pentagon secret aim for an even bigger bomb
Pentagon developing more powerful bunker buster bomb to target Iran’s ‘hidden nuclear weapons’ DAILY MAIL 29th January 2012 The Pentagon has made a secret request to develop its largest bomb because officials believe it is not capable of destroying Iran’s fortified underground facilities.
The 13.6 ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is the deepest penetrating ‘bunker buster’ currently in the U.S. arsenal, designed to take out fortifications built by Iran to hide their alleged nuclear weapons.
But a request has now been secretly submitted to Congress for funding
to make a more powerful weapon…. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093371/Pentagon-developing-powerful-bunker-buster-bomb.html#ixzz1kyOvyFCx
Iowa citizens to pay up even if nuclear company walks away!
MidAmerican’s nuclear plant proposal puts risk on consumers, Des Monies Register, 29 Jan 12, Sonia Ashe, Iowa Public Interest Research Group, Des Moines Beyond the lack of public protection against the financial risks and uncertainties associated with the development of new nuclear power, some provisions in Iowa’s nuclear construction work in progress bill, H.F. 561, actually incentivize behavior contrary to the public interest.
The Iowa Utility Board staff recently released a memo that makes clear that H.F. 561, as written, “would shift nearly all of the construction, licensing and permitting risk associated with one or more nuclear plants from the company to its customers.” That certainly
doesn’t provide proper motivation for a utility company like MidAmerican Energy to keep costs low or even follow through with completion of the project.
The memo also warns that H.F. 561 would prevent the Iowa Utility Board from offering traditional protection to consumers in the case of cost overruns, project cancellation or mismanagement.
MidAmerican Energy CEO Bill Fehrman keeps emphasizing that this bill lays all the responsibility and power at the feet of the IUB, but it certainly doesn’t sound like the IUB staff agrees.
If bringing new nuclear power to Iowa means forcing already strapped Iowans to bear all the cost and risk involved, with few protections, I say it’s not worth it. We have other, more cost-effective options that don’t require a blank check in advance….
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120129/OPINION04/301290080/-1/becker_trial/MidAmerican-s-nuclear-plant-proposal-puts-risk-consumers
Florida’s nuclear cost fiasco is a wake up call to Iowa
The Iowa Legislature is currently considering similar legislation (HF 561) that would allow MidAmerican Energy to force Iowa consumers to foot the bill in advance for nuclear reactors, and let MidAmerican keep the money regardless of whether they are ever constructed.
Nuclear Cancellation In Florida Is Warning To Iowa Legislators Florida utility seeks to cancel nuclear construction plans while leaving customers on the hook for hundreds of millions as Iowa legislators consider allowing a similar
swindle IOWA –-(ENEWSPF)–January 27, 2012. News that Florida utility Progress Energy plans to cancel the construction contract for its proposed nuclear reactors in Levy County — and will leave customers with a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars — should convince Iowa
legislators to finally abandon a proposal by MidAmerican Energy that could bilk consumers across Iowa, said Friends of the Earth. Continue reading
12 $billion new Hanford nuclear waste facility has safety flaws
Safety at Wash. Nuclear-Waste Site Scrutinized, SciTech Today, By Peter Eisler January 27, A new plant meant to stabilize and contain 56 million gallons of radioactive waste is coming under fire by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. A chief concern is that abrasive and corrosive particles in the waste could erode pipes and mixing vessels used to pretreat the material for vitrification, ultimately causing leaks. A federal oversight panel is raising new concerns to the Department of Energy about potentially serious flaws in the design of a first-of-its-kind, $12 billion waste treatment plant that is being built for the nation’s largest radioactive cleanup. Continue reading
Area on endangered list, due to possibility of uranium mining
Uranium puts Southside on endangered list GoDanRiver.com January 27, 2012 Southside landed on the Southern Environmental Law Center’s fourth annual Top 10 Endangered Places in the Southeast list because of proposed uranium mining and pressure to lift Virginia’s uranium moratorium.
Many of the areas on SELC’s top 10 list are endangered by pressure to undercut environmental protections and to lower the hurdles for potentially destructive projects, …..
USA’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission – faithful servant of the nuclear industry
Nuclear Power is Clean — as Long as you Ignore ‘Safety’!, Ace Hoffman Salem-News.com, 27 Jan 12,”……On March 10, 2011, the day before Fukushima, the NRC revealed to the media that Vermont Yankee, a poorly-designed old reactor in America, would be granted a license extension in a few days. After an earthquake and tsunami in Japan the next day, a slew of nearly identical reactors began melting down and exploding before our eyes.
Did the NRC change their minds and delay their decision? NO! Did they want to find out if what went wrong in Japan was applicable to Vermont? NO! The NRC does not lack in hubris, or in skill in manipulating the media to its advantage. Every accident — even Fukushima — is an “opportunity to learn,” and so in their macabre way of thinking, every accident, no matter how severe, can be considered a GOOD thing!
Five politically-appointed commissioners make all the “big” decisions at the NRC, and so just three commissioners constitute a majority. There are about 320 million citizens in America, so in a sense, these three people — who are not elected — control the fate of more than one hundred million Americans each. That’s what we call “democracy”?
And it gets worse: They have very finely-crafted laws to protect their power, such that over the past half century, thousands of local, state, and federal judges, as well as commissioners and other officials at all levels, have all deferred to the NRC, and thus, to these three individuals, whose identities change over time, but whose basic philosophy — “keep the nuclear industry running, ignore the dangers” — remains the same.
In addition to being lobbied constantly, politicians (who pick the commissioners) are given huge campaign contributions by the nuclear industry — hundreds of millions of dollars every decade. Often, campaign contributions are given to BOTH candidates in a close election, so regardless of who wins, the winner is beholden to the nuclear industry.
In Vermont recently, a Federal judge threw out the state’s attempt to get Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant shut down permanently after 40 years of constant leaks, piling waste, and random outages, because the judge was convinced the “real” reason Vermonters want the plant shut down is safety concerns — regardless of the OTHER legal rationalities brought forth by the state’s attorneys, such as: A prior agreement by the utility to shut the plant down if requested by the state; Lies
told repeatedly by the utility to the state’s citizens, and: Overpriced electricity the utility was offering the state.
But sooner or later, it always comes down to “safety”. And as long as the NRC says the plants are safe, everyone else says they’re safe too. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/january262012/nuclear-power-ah.php
1 This Month
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
-
Archives
- October 2026 (279)
- September 2026 (339)
- August 2026 (330)
- July 2026 (355)
- June 2026 (287)
- May 2026 (306)
- April 2026 (356)
- March 2026 (251)
- February 2026 (267)
- January 2026 (308)
- December 2025 (358)
- November 2025 (359)
-
Categories
- 1
- 1 NUCLEAR ISSUES
- business and costs
- climate change
- culture and arts
- ENERGY
- environment
- health
- history
- indigenous issues
- Legal
- marketing of nuclear
- media
- opposition to nuclear
- PERSONAL STORIES
- politics
- politics international
- Religion and ethics
- safety
- secrets,lies and civil liberties
- spinbuster
- technology
- Uranium
- wastes
- weapons and war
- Women
- 2 WORLD
- ACTION
- AFRICA
- Atrocities
- AUSTRALIA
- Christina's notes
- Christina's themes
- culture and arts
- Events
- Fuk 2022
- Fuk 2023
- Fukushima 2017
- Fukushima 2018
- fukushima 2019
- Fukushima 2020
- Fukushima 2021
- general
- global warming
- Humour (God we need it)
- Nuclear
- RARE EARTHS
- Reference
- resources – print
- Resources -audiovicual
- Weekly Newsletter
- World
- World Nuclear
- YouTube
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
