The spokesman said there's nothing to worry about
Posted on 05/08/2005 9:04:08 PM PDT by Deetes
A leak of highly radioactive nuclear fuel dissolved in concentrated nitric acid, enough to half fill an Olympic-size swimming pool, has forced the closure of Sellafield's Thorp reprocessing plant. The highly dangerous mixture, containing about 20 tonnes of uranium and plutonium fuel, has leaked through a fractured pipe into a huge stainless steel chamber which is so radioactive that it is impossible to enter.
Recovering the liquids and fixing the pipes will take months and may require special robots to be built and sophisticated engineering techniques devised to repair the £2.1bn plant.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Here's the government spokesman at the news conference:
http://ent.ity.org/images/mutants.jpg
Any unsafe geometry problems here?
The company has set up a board of inquiry to find out how the leak occurred. The NII will set up a separate investigation and has the power to prosecute if correct procedures have not been followed.
Well that a start ...
It does make one wonder. I was just quoting the story ...
The spokesman said there's nothing to worry about
" In August 1997, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate granted British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) the Consent to Operate its Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at Sellafield. THORP, which has been operating since March 1994, has reprocessed well over 800 tonnes of fuel. THORP recovers usable uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel. The main process areas are the fuel receipt and storage area, the head end plant where the fuel contents are separated out from the cladding, and the chemical plants where the uranium and plutonium are separated out from the waste products. BNFL plans to achieve a throughput of 900 tonnes by Thorp's fifth year and reprocess in all 7,000 tonnes of spent fuel in the first ten years, making at least £500 million profit after accounting for all decommissioning and capital costs. THORP is expected to reprocess 14,000 tonnes of spent fuel in its first 20 years of operations and in the order of 100 tonnes of plutonium will be recovered during this time. The exact quantity of plutonium will be dependent on the type of fuel and the level of irradiation in the reactor the fuel originates from. The company has over 15 years' worth of orders, valued at £12 billions, two thirds from overseas as well as the new AGR spent fuel contract. "
Not the sort of thing I'd want anywhere near my water supply...
Fuel for the anti-nucs. Too bad because nuclear is the best way to go for energy.
Because the leak was inside containment. That's why there's containment.
Well, it leaked into a stainless steel containing vessel/chamber. For as long as that vessel does not leak, they have time to sort it out and clean the mess without endangering the locality. This is not a Chernobyl.
But, This is the first ooopppsss I've heard of in a long long time. Not that it takes to many...
I agree, however, do the ooops cause steps to be taken to correct future problems? I believe they do. Also, how often have we been reading of a natural gas explosion wiping out a house? You can bet if anything even remotely being associated with nuclear taking out a house the cry would go out to ban all nuclear. What a shame that would be if that was to happen.
I'm with you...
I was thinking the same- how long before it eats through those welds...
Sure would suck to be an engineer at that place today.
"Uh, Bob, could you come in a little early today- and bring lots of coffee..."
Oh.
Okay.
Crud.
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