Iran unloading fuel from Bushehr reactor

CNN ^ | Feb. 26, 2011 | Staff

[fightinJAG]

CNN) -- In a possible setback to its nuclear program, Iran is unloading fuel assemblies from the reactor at a plant already plagued by delays, according to a report issued Friday by the global nuclear watchdog agency.

The Russian-built plant in the Persian Gulf city Bushehr was expected to produce 1,000 megawatts of electricity and was considered a showcase for nuclear power to be used for civilian purposes in Iran. It was supposed to be operational by the first quarter of this year.

Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however, said the fuel removal was temporary.

"Upon Russia's request fuel will be removed from the core of the reactor in order to conduct a number of tests and [carry out] technical work," Ali Asghar Soltanieh told the semi-official Islamic Students News Agency on Saturday. "After the tests are conducted, (the fuel) will be placed in the core of the reactor once again."

[Pontiac]

He said Russia is responsible for completing the plant in accordance with highest safety standards.

You have got to be kidding me.

Construction started in 1975 when Germany signed a contract with Iran. But Germany pulled out of the project after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

This place if it ever starts up will be a maintenance nightmare. Obsolete equipment with no new replacement parts available.

You would almost be better off scraping the entire plant and starting from scratch.

[Gen.Blather]

“He said Russia is responsible for completing the plant in accordance with highest safety standards.”

Now there is a statement that should raise eyebrows. Besides Chernobyl, Russia sinks their former navy ships with reactors still hot offshore. Russia is noted for dumping nuclear waste down the nearest mineshaft. Safety is not even on the Russian horizon when they plan something. Safety is a manifestation of the western God/Individual world-view.

The chemical plant that blew up in Bhopal, India had every safety feature the company could incorporate. But the company could not force the workers to use the safety equipment or follow safety procedures. As with Iranian and Arabic culture, safety is not a consideration.

[Brilliant]

I’m betting that when it comes back, if ever, it will not be quite the same.

[montag813]

The IAEA is an agent of rogue states. I don’t believe anything it says

[nikos1121]

“Besides Chernobyl, Russia sinks their former navy ships with reactors still hot offshore.”

Considering the vastnest of the ocean....is this really any safety concern to humans?

[Gen.Blather]

“Considering the vastness of the ocean....is this really any safety concern to humans?”

I understand that a significant portion of fish consumed in Russia has trace amounts of radioactivity, along with other industrial contaminants. Their other food is also contaminated by various nuclear and chemical wastes. The birth defect rate in Russia is high. And, when I said offshore, I mean in some cases a literal stone’s throw. It looked as though these ships were moored there and then eventually sunk by storms. In a cases I’ve seen photographs of, the superstructures are above water.

[kidd]

Unloading the core is a big deal. To the best of my knowledge, they haven’t gone critical yet, and unloading the fuel indicates a major problem.

Malfunctions could include:
- In-core instrumentation failures/misreadings
- Control rod problems
- Control rod drive mechanism issues
- Cracks in the reactor vessel

I suspect that most of the plant would have received a thorough walk-down prior to start-up. They wouldn’t load the fuel otherwise. They must have caught some issue during hot functional testing.

If its a vessel crack, the plant may never start. A 35 year old vessel, built with inferior Russian 1970’s knowledge of materials and welding, sitting open to a seaside environment in the desert...entirely possible.

It could be something as simple as an inaccessible loose part (like a wrench dropped into the core), but the article mentions testing, not loose parts retrieval.

I think this will delay things for quite awhile

[gura]