American Nuclear disaster in the making?

[divvy]

This is not as bad as Fukushima, yet; but now we have our own made-in-America nuclear disaster in the making.

Pacifica Radio reports on Nebraska incident

part 1 (14:49) http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mSvvmrB7qEg
part 2 (10:01) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sTmzUzruu8
full report (40:25)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHZdub3n0mI

The reporting is very thorough, with technical explanations that will not be news to anyone who has diligently followed good DU Fukushima threads, but would be news to most other Americans.

In all, it is very interesting interview. I am sure that your first thought is that... I am sure glad that their diesels aren't in the basement. They were probably smarter than those Japanese. This may make you sleep a little less well... Most, if not all, of their diesel fuel storage tanks are probably underground. These tanks have overflow and vent pipes. They were never designed to be flooded with water. The diesels have a "day tank" near the diesel that would keep it running for several hours, maybe a day, but extended operation of the diesel without its underground storage tanks would be something unanticipated by the plant design. Getting diesel fuel to a plant surrounded by flood water may also have been unanticipated. I believe that the plant will be OK as long as one of those upstream dams don't break. If that happened, the plant would be in a lot of trouble. Local switchyards would be lost, so offsite power would likely be lost. Emergency response would be hampered, because it looks like the only way in and put of the plant would be by boat. Normal service and circ water would be lost to crib house flooding. I think that the flooding of diesel storage tanks might limit the availability of diesel generators. If they lost a number of these switchgear rooms at once, they would be in big time trouble. The good thing is that the nuclear Unit is shutdown and they would probably not make the Japanese mistake of abandoning the spent fuel pool. They also have the advantage, hopefully, of not losing all their diesels at once. They should have a functioning control room to work with. Loss of offsite power and loss of Service Water is a very very serious event, though. Hopefully, those dams hold and the flooding doesn't get much worse. FYI, there is one small PWR reactor at the plant. It is very rural in location. The plant does not have a very good safety record. JMHO

Edit: At the request of a poster, I renamed the thread "American Nuclear Disaster in the making?" instead of the original title which referenced Fukushima.

Edit again for a spelling error.

[novealphtang]

1. Leaking Plant

Check out the VT Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. It has been found to be leaking tritium into the CT River which runs into populated Mass. The local officials played it off like nothing while the new democratic Governor elected in part to shut it down does nothing(remind you of another Democrat elected for change?).

[divvy]

4. It sounds like it will close in 2012

From this link: http://sfbayview.com/2010/leaking-vermont-yankee-nuclear-power-plant-shutdown-ordered-as-obama-pledges-50-billion-for-nuclear-power/

In the depths of a near-Depression, the Vermont Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly for health and safety over jobs and tax revenue when it chose not to renew Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant’s operating license when it expires in 2012. Unless Entergy, the plant’s owner, can stop the leaks of radioactive tritium, the 26-4 vote means the plant will shut down in March 2012, taking 650 jobs and $9 million in tax revenue with it.

[divvy]

2. Previous events that caused losses of offsite power

http://www.nirs.org/factsheets/naturaldisaster&nuclearpower.pdf

Here are some previous events that caused losses of offsite power at nuclear plants. I remember the Turkey Point event... There was a huge effort required to run a new transmission line to the plant after a hurricane. Workers lived at the plant during the emergency. BTW, in my 25 years at Xxxxx Xxxxx, I saw 2 tornadoes pass over the plant... for one, I was within a hundred feet of it and watching it. Awesome! There was also one I saw near our switchyard... Thankfully, that one did no harm. It was probably the most dangerous.

[Warrior Dash]

3. "American Fukushima in the making"

Please...

[divvy]

5. It was not the earthquake, but the tsunami in Japan

A flood with loss of offsite power is a serious problem.

I will rename the title of this thread. You may have a point there.

[bananas]

6. The FAA has a no-fly zone around the plant

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x299820
and http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=299666&mesg_id=299805

[Edweird]

7. There was no cataclysmic infrastructure destruction, just some flooding.

That can be dealt with. If fuel needs to be broght in by boat... well I'm sure they can find a boat to do it. It bears watching but I don't see any imminent nuclear disaster.