Alabama Nuclear Reactor Gets "F" Grade (and we're downwind of it).

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

How did Alabama & Nuclear end up in the same sentence?????

That made me laugh! Boiling water reactors are inherently less safe than a pressurized water reactor. If I'm remembering my days from engineering school correctly, the cooling water which comes into contact with the nuclear core is the same water that ultimately turns the electric turbines. In a pressurized water reactor, the cooling water never leaves the closed loop of the reactor vessel and thus doesn't come into contact with the turbines. Well, regardless, the old reactor designs are less safe than the newer designs and, I imagine, would never be licensed today. But a stuck valve??? No matter how safe the reactor may be, a faulty valve was what led to the TMI partial meltdown. This is very concerning. While "contraptions" may be updated, clearly the updating done to date wasn't sufficient. Regardless, I am a die hard supporter of nuclear power until we can find a more economical way of generating the electricity we need.

[Febtober]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I'm not opposed to nuclear power. But when a facility gets warnings at this level, and a critical valve remains stuck for a year, then it is approaching the level of a contraption. I know these facilities are heavily regulated, and with good reason.

And I agree with your critique of my comments about old technology. That was hyperbole on my part and of course systems have been upated. Nonetheless, there's no doubt that the basic conceptual parameters of BWR reactors were laid down 40 years ago. I'm certainly no expert on reactor design but I do know elements of it are still under heated debate.

http://markey.house.gov/docs/3-7-11.ejmtonrc.pdf (broken link)

Yeah sorry, it's calmed down recently but I'm used to what seems like a hundred people saying how they don't want another Chernobyl in their backyard after the Japanese nuclear plant fiasco.

Pretty much anyone in America can name Three Mile Island off the top of their head, where the worst dose of radiation was equivalent to living in Denver for about seven months, yet remain unaware of incidents like the one I linked earlier (which admittedly I didn't even know about until recently).

I found this article summarizing several studies to be quite interesting, in particular,

the waste produced by coal plants is actually more radioactive than that generated by their nuclear counterparts. In fact, the fly ash emitted by a power plant—a by-product from burning coal for electricity—carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Febtober

Yeah sorry, it's calmed down recently but I'm used to what seems like a hundred people saying how they don't want another Chernobyl in their backyard after the Japanese nuclear plant fiasco.

Pretty much anyone in America can name Three Mile Island off the top of their head, where the worst dose of radiation was equivalent to living in Denver for about seven months, yet remain unaware of incidents like the one I linked earlier (which admittedly I didn't even know about until recently).

I found this article summarizing several studies to be quite interesting, in particular,

I know what you mean, and thanks for the link.

You may have seen this piece as well, comparing deaths per terawatt hour among various energy sources. Statistically nuclear is safer by far than oil or coal.

Deaths per TWH by energy source

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by Febtober

It's hardly a "contraption." It's a highly regulated BWR nuclear reactor with a negative void coefficient. It's literally impossible for it to reach a situation like Chernobyl, which is what everyone likes to compare things to.

And this "contraption" underwent a complete rebuild just a few years ago.

[AnsleyPark]

Lord, if the left a faulty valve in the system during the rebuild, ya gotta wonder what else was overlooked.

[johnatl]

Originally Posted by FlyiMetro

How did Alabama & Nuclear end up in the same sentence?????

Southern Nuclear (a division of ATL based Southern Companies) happens to be HQ'd in Birmingham. Just so you know....