Flaw found in French nuclear reactor

BBC World Service ^ | 9 July 2015 | Rob Broomby

[BenLurkin]

A weakness has been discovered in a French nuclear reactor of the type set to be built at Hinkley in the UK.

France's nuclear safety regulator told the BBC the flaw in the steel housing the reactor core at the nuclear plant being built in Normandy is "serious".

He added that unless he was satisfied with the plans to put it right, he could stop the project.

The fault in the French reactor is thought to be a construction fault, not an inherent weakness in the design.

The troubled European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) under construction in France is one of the standard bearers for the next generation of nuclear power plants.

It is of the same design as that planned for Hinkley C in Somerset and its collapse would deliver a major blow to the so called nuclear renaissance.

"It is a serious anomaly affecting a crucial component of the nuclear power plant," said Pierre-Franck Chevet, President of the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

"We have observed a bad chemical and mechanical characteristic," he said.

ASN has ordered the loss-making French state owned reactor manufacturer Areva to conduct a further round of destructive testing on a similar component which will see the 116 tonne pressure vessel head or lid once earmarked for the planned reactor at Hinkley C destroyed in the process.

[ClearCase_guy]

Finding a construction fault in an important piece of equipment is usually not real news. But this is beign reported because it kind of sounds like nuclear power plants around the world may suddenly go into meltdown because -- you know -- a serious flaw was recently discovered in how nuclear reactors are made.

Low information voters eat this stuff up.

[Zenjitsuman]

How do they say Lemon in French?

[Ken522]

"It is a serious anomaly affecting a crucial component of the nuclear power plant,"

In other words, IT.MAY.BLOW.UP!!!!!!!!!!

[JoeProBono]

le citron

[ProtectOurFreedom]

From what I’ve read, it is not a construction error. Steel was made with spatial variations in carbon content leading to variations in final cover mechanical properties. The steel would potentially be more susceptible to shock and fracture. It sounds very serious.

[glorgau]

OMG! Nuclear!

[SkyDancer]

Sacrebleu!

[glorgau]

> Steel was made with spatial variations in carbon content leading to variations in final cover mechanical properties. The steel would potentially be more susceptible to shock and fracture.

It could also be that up until now there was no method to determine where and how fractures of these sorts are created and how they propagate. I sat in on a presentation from researchers to this french company and some of the presentation was new to them. Kind of interesting how they raised an eyebrow on some of the crystallography stuff.

Good old fashioned “cutting edge” science.

[dead]

Flaw found in French nuclear reactor

They found out it's French.

[showme_the_Glory]

The French have Nukes? On my.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

An interesting and long report on the entire troubled European Ressurized Reactor program at The EPR In Crisis.

[cornfedcowboy]

Nuclear construction at the steel fabrication level is super tight. At least here in the U.S. Steel is checked for flaws in welding and such many many times, then checked again.

[ransomnote]

Unlike many low information voters, France’s nuclear safety regulators seem to be aware that Japan has had three nuclear reactor meltdowns, two of which exploded and the explosions spread some radioactive waste over the island nation, deposited some of those wastes far downwind (Canada, US) and has been and will be dumping many tons of radioactive waste tainted water into the ocean for many many years to come.