Va. Nuclear Reactor Shuts Down

Houston Chronicle ^ | Oct 8, 2006 | AP

[thackney]

SURRY, Va. — One of two nuclear reactors at Surry Power Station remained shut down Sunday after two electrical transformers that provide backup power to the plant quit working.

Unit Two was shut down around 6 p.m. Saturday after steam blew out some sheet metal, which landed on a power line that serves one of the backup transformers, said Richard Zher, a spokesman for Dominion Resources Inc., the Richmond-based power company that owns the plant. Officials weren't sure what caused the second transformer to shut down, Zher said.

That first reserve electrical transformer was repaired, and Dominion was working on the second, Zher said Sunday. A third transformer was not affected.

Backup diesel generators kicked in when the two transformers shut down, Zher said.

Zher said Dominion was investigating what caused steam to blow out the siding in a building where cold water is turned into steam, which powers a turbine that creates electricity through a generator.

"Once we have made that determination and resolved any problems, we will restart" the reactor, Zher said.

The plant issued an alert, as required by federal guidelines, he said.

"No one was injured and it didn't cause any threat to public health or safety," Zher said.

Surry's two nuclear units at Surry each produce 799 megawatts of electricity and provide 15 percent of the electricity in Dominion's service area.

Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, is one of the nation's largest producers of energy.

[LIConFem]

Weird. I wonder if it has anything do do with this?

[LIConFem]

do do = to do

*sigh*

[DungeonMaster]

Nukes are no good, they require 100 percent backup.

[thackney]

I doubt it. But the two of them were unusual enough for me to post them both

[trashcanbred]

I say that as well. Two different plants with reactors shut down near the same time.

Seems... odd.

[mkjessup]

Nukes are no good, they require 100 percent backup.

That's why the United States Navy should have been running the civilian nuclear power generation industry from the very beginning. The Navy has made mistakes like any entity, but their record on nuclear safety I would stack up against anyone else's on the planet.

Even the late USS Scorpion (SSN-589), still resting on the seafloor today after being lost with all hands in 1968, has yet to leak any radiation whatsoever.

That in itself, is impressive.

[mad_as_he$$]

Could just as easily been to with do do!

Transformers of that size do not usually just "quit working".The more normal state would be loud noises and fireworks.

[Hatteras]

Sounds similar to what happened at the Shearon Harris plant a few weeks ago...

WRAL News

[mad_as_he$$]

Mostly thanks to the most uncompromising Admiral to every run a project.

[Toby06]

It's good to see the safety measures in place are working as designed.

[Ouderkirk]

B-I-L works at Surry. Have to shoot him and e-amil to see what's happening.

[MineralMan]

"Have to shoot him and e-amil "

---

No, don't shoot both him and e-amil. That would be overkill, I think. In fact, don't shoot either of them, please.

[Fatuncle]

So, we don't have to worry about a reactor leaking radiation ... just worry about it sinking with all hands?

Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist it ...

[Ditto]

That's why the United States Navy should have been running the civilian nuclear power generation industry from the very beginning. The Navy has made mistakes like any entity, but their record on nuclear safety I would stack up against anyone else's on the planet.

BS. The only reactor related fatalities we have ever had in the US have been at a Naval reactor facility. And since every thing the Navy does is stamped "secret" and there is zero oversight of the Navy by the NRC, we don't have a clue as to how many mishaps may have occurred while every stubbed toe in a commercial plant is documented in detail and reported by the NRC.

[ASOC]

The nuke plant(s) in Idahoe is run by the Navy? I thought they were DoE.

[mkjessup]

That's why the United States Navy should have been running the civilian nuclear power generation industry from the very beginning. The Navy has made mistakes like any entity, but their record on nuclear safety I would stack up against anyone else's on the planet.

BS. The only reactor related fatalities we have ever had in the US have been at a Naval reactor facility. And since every thing the Navy does is stamped "secret" and there is zero oversight of the Navy by the NRC, we don't have a clue as to how many mishaps may have occurred while every stubbed toe in a commercial plant is documented in detail and reported by the NRC.

I presume that you are speaking from either actual experience or from personal knowledge?

[Little Bill]

I had lot of steam released when a piece of roofing from a project across from our transformer yard took out one of my units at full load at 2AM in the morning, hottest day of the year. REMVEC reserve was 360 MW and we were it.

I believe that Millstone 2 and 3 are PWR's no release.

[Ditto]

Even the late USS Scorpion (SSN-589), still resting on the seafloor today after being lost with all hands in 1968, has yet to leak any radiation whatsoever.

BTW, you can drop any reactor 3 miles deep in the ocean, and there won't be any "leaks". There is not enough oxygen to cause corrosion.

[mkjessup]

Still waiting to hear if your observations are based on actual experience and/or personal knowledge?