Posted on 05/20/2019 5:07:27 PM PDT by BenLurkin
In the second episode of "Chernobyl," ...A large fire rages in the ruins of the No. 4 reactor of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. ... Deadly radioactive dust has drifted all the way out of the Soviet Union and into Sweden. The air above the reactor literally glows where the uranium core has become exposed. And the people leading the disaster response decide to dump thousands of tons of sand and boron on the core.
But why did first responders use sand and boron? And if a similar nuclear disaster were to occur in 2019, is this what firefighters would still do?
Modern reactors are outfitted with chemical sprays that can flood a reactor building, knocking radioactive isotopes out of the air before they can escape. And unlike Chernobyl, nuclear facilities in the U.S. are entirely contained in sealed structures of cement and rebar ...You could crash a small jet into the side of one of these buildings, and it wouldn't expose the core. In fact, as part of a test, the U.S. government did just that to an empty containment vessel in 1988. The NRC states that studies regarding large jet impacts are still ongoing.
...U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has, for every one of the 98 nuclear power reactors operating in the country, drafted emergency handbooks hundreds of pages long.
Those handbooks are available in plain English on the NRC's website. ...You can find instructions for when to shove lots of boron into the core...It saw what to do if hostile forces attack the plant (among other things, start preparing a regional evacuation the moment it becomes clear that the forces might cause a significant radiation leak). And, in the event of significant amounts of radioactive material escaping into the atmosphere, it says who declares an evacuation...
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
I was trying to make FR readers laugh.
Epic Fail, apparently.
However, thank you for your concise essay on radioactivity, which was well written and quite interesting.
The two younger line engineers, fairly new from training, were too timid to stand up to the older guy with his years of experience and Party standing. They were arguing for a timed re-start and then test with protocols. Not going to happen according to the senior engineer. That would probably take them into the next shift. . . and he wouldn’t be in charge; the plant chief engineer would be. Ironically, that guy had no nuclear training at all. He was appointed due to Party standing and his experience with electrical plants.
One thing I found interesting was that they had no way of measuring core temperature that deep in the reactor. Their sensors were all higher up, and they did not have sensors down where the reaction was out of control during this incident and they were not aware of it. The upper levels were seemingly normal until they weren’t. It sounds as if someone made the assumption that all areas would be the same and management could again cut corners to save rubles on sensor costs.
Ouch! Truth About Chernobyl is on $137 from Amazon. . .
In today’s world, Trump would be blamed and RATs would have hearings while screaming impeachment.
Since silicon and granite and most other crust materials melt well below 2,500 C, why doesn't the corium melt everything straight down to the Earth's mantle?
I have no idea. How can I look that up. Obviously I’m in Alabama so it’s a TVA plant. Will any of them be safe on a long term power outage? Cooling pools, onsite waste holding ....
None of what I am saying is negative to nuclear power. Our waste handling in this country is flawed.
Carter pulled a fast one with waste handling to try to kill nuclear power.
I believe that Browns Ferry [commissioned 1974-1977, BWR (Boiling Water Reactor)] and Joseph M. Farley [commissioned 1977-1981 PWR (Pressurized Water Reactor)] are both Generation II reactors.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/reaction/readings/rossin.html
On April 7, 1977, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would defer indefinitely the reprocessing of spent nuclear reactor fuel. He stated that after extensive examination of the issues, he had reached the conclusion that this action was necessary to reduce the serious threat of nuclear weapons proliferation, and that by setting this example, the U. S. would encourage other nations to follow its lead.
President Carter's Executive Order also announced that the U. S. would sponsor an international examination of alternative fuel cycles, seeking to identify approaches which would allow nuclear power to continue without adding to the risk of nuclear proliferation. More than thirty nations participated over almost three years. But no new magic answer could be found.
Some other nations went ahead with reprocessing and breeder development, but high costs and loss of political support delayed plans in many nuclear projects around the world. The U. S. never regained its technological lead in nuclear energy development, its own nuclear power program had already gone from orders to cancellations, and the dream of long-term future energy security from breeder reactors faded away. The three years of uncertainty about the future had wiped away further prospects for private investments in the nuclear fuel cycle. Today, twenty years later, all U.S. spent fuel remains in storage at each plant where it was used.
“The EPA won’t allow a nuke plant to built because of past problems”
Care to correct that?
I agree about the Navy, but the solution is replacing nuclear plants which are quite literally antiques and decades past their life. Worse, they are being relicensed.
But “head-in-sand” is comfort to many.
The EPA won’t permit any new nukes or refineries.
“They are too dangerous”.
And yet other countries manage and our own Navy can operate nuke plants safely.
I am referring to the idiocy of our rulers.
thanks for the visual - much easier to understand than the movie reference of ‘lava’.
And, I love with your definition of moron. Well done !!
From SNL - The Pepsi Syndrome
Ross Denton: Mrs. Carter, this is Dr. Edna Casey. Perhaps she can explain better than I what has happened to the president.
Dr. Edna Casey: Mrs. Carter, your husband was exposed to massive doses of radiation. Now this has affected the entire cell structure of his body and greatly accelerated the growth process.
Rosalyn Carter: Well, what does that mean?
Dr. Edna Casey: It means, Mrs. Carter, your husband, President Carter, has become [ camera zooms in on Dr. Edna Casey ] The amazing colossal president.
Rosalyn Carter: Well how big is he?
Dr. Edna Casey: Well Mrs. Carter, it’s difficult to comprehend just how big he is but to give you some idea, we’ve asked comedian Rodney Dangerfield to come along today to help explain it to you. Rodney?
[ Rodney Dangerfield enters ] Rodney Dangerfield: How do you do, how are you?
Ross Denton: Rodney, can you please tell us, how big is the president?
Rodney Dangerfield: Oh, he’s a big guy, I’ll tell you that, he’s a big guy. I tell you he’s so big, I saw him sitting in the George Washington bridge dangling his feet in the water! He’s a big guy!
Rosalyn Carter: Oh my God! Jimmy! Oh God!
Rodney Dangerfield: Oh, he’s big, I’ll tell you that, boy. He’s so big that when two girls make love to him at the same time, they never meet each other! He’s a big guy, I’ll tell you!
Rosalyn Carter: Oh no! Oh Jimmy! My Jimmy!
Rodney Dangerfield: I don’t want to upset you lady, he’s big, you know what I mean? Why he could have an affair with the Lincoln Tunnel! I mean, he’s really high! He’s big, I’ll tell you! He’s a big guy!
Rosalyn Carter: No! No! No!
Ross Denton: Rodney, thank you very much. You can go.
Rodney Dangerfield: It’s my pleasure. He’s way up there, lady! you know what I mean? [ goes off, leaving Rosalyn Carter very upset ]
Dr. Edna Casey: Mrs Carter, perhaps this chart can give you a more precise measurement of his size. [ shows chart comparing sizes of animals ] Now the figure on the left represents Vice President Mondale. This is Tip O’Neill, Speaker of the house, Democrat, Massachussetts. This is an Indian elephant, this is a brontosaurus, and this, I’m afraid, [ pulls back flap to show that President Carter is about twice the size of a brontosaurus ] is President Carter. [ Rosalyn Carter bursts into tears, as Ross Denton lets her head rest on his shoulder ] [ goes back into press conference at the power plant’s main office, with Baba Wawa reporting. ]
Baba Wawa: Hewwo, this is Baba Wawa speaking to you wive fwom Two Miwe Iwand. I’m speaking to you wive fwom the Two Miwe Iwand Nucweaw Weactow site whewe wumows awe wunning wampant that the pwesident has been exthposed to wethaw wevews of wadiation. And he has gwown to an incwedibly widiculous pwopowtion. He’s weawwy, weawwy, wawge. Pwesentwy, Woss Denton, spokespewson fow the utiwity company which wuns the nucweaw weactow wiww enter this woom to wespond to the pwess. Watew tonight, at 10:30, 9:30 centwaw, ABC wiww pwesent a speciaw half houw wepowt, “How big is the President?” hosted by Fwank Weynolds and Wodney Dangewfiewd. [ Ross enters the room with Rosalyn Carter and Dr. Edna Casey ] I see Woss Denton is appwoaching the podium and seems weady to speak. Wet’s wisten in.
Ross Denton: Good afternoon, good afternoon, ladies and gentleman of the press. First, as to the president’s condition, let me say that the president is feeling certainly “stronger” than he’s ever felt. And he would like to be with us right here, in this room if he could. I think now I’ll just open the door to questions-
Female Reporter #1: Yes, is it true that the president is 100 feet tall?
Ross Denton: Nooooo! Absolutely not!
Male reporter #3: Is the president 90 feet tall?
Ross Denton: No comment. Yes?
Male Reporter #1: Yes. While the Constitution does not specifically exclude giants and behemoths from the presidency, is it not true that the Mr. Carter’s enourmous size really violates the spirit of-
Dr. Edna Casey: Look! There he is! It’s the president!
[ a gigantic Jimmy Carter is seen outside of the window ] Everyone in room: Mr. President! Mr. President!
President Jimmy Carter: Good afternoon, everybody. I’m afraid that since the army clothing engineers have been unable to fit me with a giant loincloth, I’ll have to adress you through this window. First, let me say that this experience has not changed my committment to nuclear power, nor do I believe that my enourmous size will in any way limit my abilities to perfrom my duties in my office. However, this will mean some changes in my personal life. Rosalyn, I hate to spring this on you this way, but I’d like to introduce you all to my future wife and my next first lady. She was a widow, and, until recently, a maintainance worker here at Two Mile Island. Miss Violet Crawford.
[ Violet comes in looking through the window, having also become a giant from radiation, as Rosalyn Carter hits the wall in shock ] Violet: Hi, everybody. As First Lady, I’d like to say I have nothing against nuclear power, honey. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.
“I am referring to the idiocy of our rulers.”
I would agree with that, but the true idiocy is supporting the relicensing >40 year-old systems using even older designs intended to contain a nuclear chain reaction under high pressure. Even the Navy decommissions reactors at regular intervals.
EPA has no licensing role. All they do is set limits. Period. https://www.epa.gov/radiation/how-epa-involved-regulation-and-safety-nuclear-power-plants
I need mind bleach now...
They're killing sources of power, one by one. I call it the Lucy van Pelt method.
They've killed nuclear and they're just finishing up killing coal, by holding out natural gas power generation as "the solution" [the Lucy van Pelt solution].
If you look through the current news, the rumbles of killing natural gas are just starting.
You may think that solar and wind power are "safe" - but they're not.
Those are easily killed, and will be killed at the last.
We're dealing with crazies.
I saw the Greenies and their embeds in the EPA force a mining company to haul ore 65 miles one way, down a well-traveled highway and through a city, and up an 800 foot grade - instead of allowing the mining company to build a 24 mile road on the flat through unpopulated wilderness, like it wanted to do, on its own dime.
And the EPA played with the mining company for five years before they laughed and told them "NO WAY".
The Greenies pulled this crap because they thought they'd be able to get their allies on the city council to block the mining company trucks.
Didn't work, even thought they tried it, because the state told the Greenies to eff off - it was going through.
“Thanks again for your additional posts, especially the info about the PSC contract.”
I’v live about 25 miles from the plant since 1975, so have followed the whole saga as a local news story ...
Um, no. I’ve been following the Clean Power Plan since it was proposed.
EPA was trumpeting nuclear as the holy grail to reduce CO2 at one time. It is now faced with repeal by Trump. It has nothing to do with the greenies; this is all about ‘climate change’ and ‘CO2’...
Key point: Most EPA references to CPP have been removed. Any archive search must be Boolean and focused key word search. I have saved documents; the linked URL is a rare archive which may soon disappear...
If you're not aware of the methods of the Greens and their embeds in the various Federal agencies, you need to make yourself aware.
I witnessed the EPA play with the mining company I talked about over a few years, like a cat toying with a stunned bird.
Eff the "Clean Power Plan". What counts is what the Greens are DOING.
They'll tell you what you want to hear until they jerk the football out from in front of you.
They just can't help themselves.
I’m not going to argue against ignorance.
The ‘greenies’ lost to the ‘CO2’ folks long ago. The greenies were about the environment. Climate alarmists are about wealth redistribution and control and care not a damn about the environment. Nuclear was merely a means to an end at one time. There’s a reason they’ve scrubbed most of it from their websites.
Done here.
Yes, I’m done with your ignorance, too.
We have a winner for the cranial/sphincter inversion!
Praise be to Alfred E. Neuman!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.