Posted on 01/24/2005 3:28:48 PM PST by kenth
State, Wayne, and Monroe officials were called to the Fermi II nuclear plant in Monroe early Monday evening to investigate what they would only call a "situation".
Authorities told Action News just after 6:00 that they were responding to some kind of situation within the plant.
Ping
A good time for this linkhttp://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm
I thought they always said, "Me love you long time."
I guess she didn't live up to that...
_Jim - You're definately right about it not being 'terrorism'. I'm beginning to thing that some people around here sleep wrapped in tin foil for extra attenuation.
Unidentified leakage of 75gpm inside containment is a 'situation' only because the allowable limit for unidentified leakage is 10gpm TOTAL at most nukes. Thus, they would naturally want to 'identify' it because that could potentially shift the leak into a different, more managable classification.
In any event, as you point out, it will turn out to be one of five causes:
- stress corrosion cracking of a component (induced by age, chemistry, materials, and vibration)
- erosion/corrosion (pipe wall rupture on small bore piping)
- gasketed joint failure
- valve packing failure
- mechanical seal failure
Since Fermi is a BWR (boiling water reactor) we can rule out the possibility of borated water corrosion.
As long as it's a relatively small leak 'in containment', it's not a potential safety issue, but one that will cost DTE a shiny nickel to fix.
I'll go back to my cage now...
sub6
Once we had a situation at Argonne National Labs when one of the researches sliced his finger while trying to slice a bagel.
No joke the decided to confiscate all the knives and prohibit the knives at future bagel servings until a safe procedure could be worked out to slice bagels.
Heres hoping the situation is more this type of thing......
I am minutes away from Fermi 2...Used to ice skate at Fermi 1...
Wow, what a link. Can't imagine how creepy a totally silent city would be. Thanks, I think.
Wifes comment "Well no one will miss Detroit". She is such a compassionate conservative........... sheesh.....
Well put Sub06.
And in answer to Jim's question about plant tours...public tours of nuclear power plants stopped post 9/11. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission significantly increased security requirements at all the U.S. nuclear power plants after 9/11. If anyone lives near a nuke plant, they can attest to that. They look like well guarded fortresses.
Not comforting to read your post while hubby is watching "Star Trek" memories, montage of "He's dead, Jim"...as I read the thread. (That isn't on Deforest Kelly's tombstone, is it?)
that is weird.
Is that your sister...?
Yeah, I went through that a while back. Just amazing.
My Pleasure,It's a Classic, Long but it sucks you in.....
No! My sister is
hiding in the trees behind
the moose! The moose just
bit my sister while
she was eating cheese after
her mid-day shower . . .
Drudge: FLASH: Fermi 2 nuclear power plant in Michigan is shut down... 'We have a leak of reactor coolant into the containment structure... leak rate was about 75 gallons a minute but is reducing,' John Austerberry, spokesman... 'there is no indication of a radioactive release'... MORE...
see #78
Coolant Leak Shuts Down Fermi 2 Nuclear Power PlantDTE Energy crews report that a coolant leak has been detected inside the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant Monday afternoon.
The plant has been shut down, but there are no evacuations.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was notified that the coolant surrounding the reactor core had reached above 75 parts per million. Anytime coolant levels exceed 50, the NRC must be notified, according to a report from NBC News.
NRC officials say there is no immediate threat to the public.
Fermi 2 is operated by Detroit Edison Co. It's located in Monroe County's Frenchtown Township, about 25 miles northeast of Toledo.
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