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Another major problem was the spent fuel rods, they are saying in this older design, the used fuel rods are stored on the top part of the nuclear plant itself (instead of shipped elsewhere to be stored) and located outside the protective shell and they could blow up too if not cooled apparently. I wonder if we do that here too in the plant with the similar design.
Americans are much more vocal and willing to challenge the government vs the japanese which has a culture of obey and follow the authority, as a result i think our plants are much more strict because of the constant scrutiny.
As far as storing fuel rods, we do the same thing. They are stored in large concrete ponds on site and covered with water when they are first removed from the reactor. After they have been cooled for about a year, they place the fuel rods into a dry cask storage container that is basically a giant steel drum that is welded shut and then encased in concrete and steel reinforcement. As of right now all spent fuel is stored onsite at the reactors.
At one point we were working to build a large storage site in the Yucca Mountain range in Nevada where the fuel would be stored/buried for millions of years. That project was cancelled by the Obama administration.
The reason for the cancellation was that current storage methods are good for decades more and there are new technologies coming online that will allow that fuel to be used to the point it is no longer a threat (for instance reactors that can run on the spent fuel rods). Any material that is left over and isn't usable can be buried in salt caverns where the salt formations would surround the material and be geologically stable for up to 100 million years.
FWIW, I live in Logan Twp., which is about 30 miles or so northeast of the Salem plant. The chance of anything even approaching a Three Mile Island is so remote as to not be of concern. The chance of a Fukushima or a Chenobyl is even more remote than that and a total meltdown is a virtual impossibility. If something did happen there would be ample warning and time to take precautions or move to a safer area.
I'm not a scientist, just someone who has always been fascinated with the science. I'm personally in support of expanding our use of nuclear energy as it is one of the safest, cleanest and most reliable sources of energy we have.
FWIW, I live in Logan Twp., which is about 30 miles or so northeast of the Salem plant. The chance of anything even approaching a Three Mile Island is so remote as to not be of concern. The chance of a Fukushima or a Chenobyl is even more remote than that and a total meltdown is a virtual impossibility. If something did happen there would be ample warning and time to take precautions or move to a safer area.
I'm not a scientist, just someone who has always been fascinated with the science. I'm personally in support of expanding our use of nuclear energy as it is one of the safest, cleanest and most reliable sources of energy we have.
That's 2 of us goat. People forget quickly about the gulf oil spill, refineries blowing up, Exxon-Alaska. 55 percent of energy in NJ is supplied by these plants. If they close u can bet your energy bill will double. IMO we need a combination of all things for energy. Oil, nuclear, wind, solar, natural gas, ETC. My one problem with the Japan plants is wouldn't u have positioned the emergency generators in a tall building maybe on some sort of pilings just in case of a tsunami wave?
The oyster creek one in staten island is awfully close to major population centers. Luckily east coast has been relatively stable and disaster free historically from mother nature's wrath.
I wonder if the US would responded better than the japanese in this situation, it's crazy that you cannot stop the reactors for weeks after you completely shut it down, never knew that.
the elements need to be cooled, because they are very hot from the reactions. the plant in japan was shut down, but you still need power and backup power to run the pumps to cool the material or that's where you get a "meltdown".
also - japan was praised in this crisis due to tight building code regulations for savings many many lives. i would think parts of the U.S., with the corruption in building regulations, would crumble under a severe earthquake, even though a 9.0 would be pretty rare like NJGOAT said.
also - japan was praised in this crisis due to tight building code regulations for savings many many lives. i would think parts of the U.S., with the corruption in building regulations, would crumble under a severe earthquake, even though a 9.0 would be pretty rare like NJGOAT said.
They had some report though about how the US nuclear plants had a stricter code in place. So while in general what you are saying may be true, I'm not sure it would apply to the plants.
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