Thursday, December 10, 2015

Control Rods Fall Into Reactor Core At Indian Point

NUCLEAR EVENT AT INDIAN POINT.


U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Event Notification Reports, Dec 7, 2015 (emphasis added): MANUAL REACTOR TRIP INITIATED DUE TO MULTIPLE DROPPED CONTROL RODS — At 1731 [EST] on December 5, 2015, Indian Point Unit 2 Control Room operators initiated a Manual Reactor Trip due to indications of multiple dropped Control Rods. The initiating event was a smoldering Motor Control Center (MCC) cubicle in the Turbine Building that supplies power to the Rod Control System… The affected cubicle has ceased smoldering and is being monitored by on-site Fire Brigade trained personnel… The cause of the smoldering MCC is being investigated and a post reactor trip evaluation is being conducted by the licensee… The licensee has notified the NRC Resident Inspector and appropriate State and Local authorities.
The Journal News, Dec 7, 2015: One of Indian Point’s two nuclear reactors will remain shut down for the next couple of days following a power loss on Saturday, a company spokesman said Sunday. Unit 2 was powered down around 5:20 p.m. Saturday by operators after about 10 control rods “dropped” into the reactor core, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Committee… Neel Sheehan, a spokesperson for the NRC, said a preliminary investigation indicated the problem stemmed from a sudden power loss to the mechanism holding the rods. The plant’s control rods, made of materials that can absorb neutrons, are used to control the fissioning of atoms that generate power… Government inspectors visited Indian Point on Saturday and Sunday. “No immediate concerns were identified,” Sheehan said in an e-mail, adding that inspectors would return to the site “to follow up on troubleshooting, repair activities and restart planning.”
Gothamist, Dec 6, 2015: In a statement, Gov. Cuomo… said he’s sending a team from the Department of Public Service to investigate the incident and monitor the process of bringing the reactor back online.
Several control rods also appear to have dropped at Virginia’s North Anna nuclear power plant after an earthquake in 2011:
  • U.S. NRC Event Notification, Aug 29, 2011: EMERGENCY DECLARED… North Anna Power Station declared an Alert due to significant seismic activity
  • U.S. NRC email, Sept 2011: RE: North Anna… At this point, it appears that the grippers for several of the control rods deenergized and dropped.
  • Westinghouse patent: A dropped rod… will initially result in a reduction in the total power generated by the core. The reactor will then attempt to meet the load… byincreasing power in the remainder of the core which could lead to local overheatingelsewhere in the core.
  • Satoshi Sato, Nuclear Engineer, April 28, 2015 (emphasis added): “I don’t know if you remember, there was the earthquake in 2011 in Virginia. That was a big one… enough to cause vibration to the North Anna reactor resulting in a big spike of neutron flux — orreactor power… and somehow caused the additional radioactivity into the core. So that’ssomething scary, potentially resulting in a supercriticality.” (IEER: “The neutron spike accompanying a sudden supercriticality can lead to an explosion of the reactor core. It is this sort of event which occurred at the Chernobyl reactor”)
MEANWHILE, A THOUSAND MILEWIDE HUNDRED MILE LONG RADIATION PLUME FROM THE REACTOR MELTDOWNS AT FUCKYOUSHIMA REACTOR SITE IN JAPAN BUTTS UP AGAINST THE WEST COAST OF NORTH AMERICA IMPACTING NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, WESTERN CANADA AND ALASKA WITH INTENSE RADIATION. THE RADIATION CONTINUES TO SPEW UNABATED FROM THE MELTED REACTORS AS IT POURS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, THE SEA AND THE GROUND. THE REACTOR MELTDOWNS[PLURAL MEANING MULTIPLE REACTOR MELTDOWNS INCLUDING A, MOX REACTOR USING PLUTONIUM AS FUEL, HAVE PUT THE WHOLE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE IN JEOPARDY. MASSIVE FISH, WHALE AND SEALIFE DIE OFFS HAVE OCCURRED TIED DIRECTLY TO THE RADIATION BEING EMITTED FROM THE MELTED DOWN JAPANESE REACTORS. MEANWHILE THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT IS ALL "HAPPY TALK, INSISTENT ON HOLDING THE 2020 OLYMPICS THERE NO MATTER WHAT THE RISK TO FOREIGN ATHLETES AND OLYMPIC TOURISTS. ALMOST 5 YEARS NOW SINCE THE MARCH 2011 REACTOR MELTDOWNS AND LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO REMEDIATE THE CATASTROPHIC NUCLEAR WASTELAND BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE RADIATION. WORKERS RECRUITED KNOW THAT TO WORK THERE MEANS DEATH. LIMITED EXPOSURE WILL LEAD TO DEATH WITHIN A SHORT TIME EVEN WHEN HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SUITS ARE USED BECAUSE RADIATION CAN PENETRATE MOST MATERIALS.

No comments:

Post a Comment