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I heard that Brown's Ferry is finally starting up, after all these years. I remember touring the place, under construction, when I was about 14. Just after the Civil War.

I realize they spent $2 Billion refurbishing it, but I remember Brown's Ferry being the poster child for how not to build a nuclear plant.

Are y'all ok with it?

DF
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I've spent a good bit of time working with a software application (SmartPlant 3D) that designs nuclear power plants and let me tell you... its enough to scare your pants off. We've been told that the regulaors are all over the place and there are controls and checks and tests, etc. I'm glad that I live close by. If it goes BOOM! it'll be over before I have any awareness of it.
It will never go boom, plenty of checks and balances. Am I the only one who did the math and found it only cost $1100 an hour to fire it back up? A bargin I would think, nukes are my old playground and in the eyes of Nuke plant people are expensive. In the big scheme of things they are pretty darn cheap say compared to Waterway construction, Mississippi River leves, unexploded ordanance disposal. Chemical De-Mil.
I am VERY okay with it!!!! It last ran in 1982, and took a lot to talk everyone into 'buying' into the rebuild!!!

I think it is a GREAT day in history of our area... Smiler

Oh and the NRC and people who actually have Expert Degree's in this area were all there for this last month checking EVERYTHING, ...

It won't go boom, lol... like interventor said, it may melt-down someday, but never BOOM... And if it EVER STARTED a melt-down, it would be like 3-mile Island, there would be plenty of time to evacuate before the atmosphere would be contaminated.

Yep, I am completely okay with it... and the money that will end up being SAVED will far out-weigh the cost to get it back up and running with all new EVERYTHING Smiler
quote:
Originally posted by DeepFat:
Seems nuclear power, in concept, is here to stay. Couple points, tho.

A Cal Tech scientist says there's not enough uranium to support wide scale nuclear power for more than a few decades. I dunno.

Second, Heub... how do they handle high-level nuke waste? Is the plan to encase it in glass and send it to Nevada forever?

DF


The USA actually has Nuclear Waste Management Companies... they take care of it ... for a large fee.

But the waste will be minimal for a very long time to come.
quote:
Originally posted by Kindred_Spirit:
quote:
Originally posted by DeepFat:
Seems nuclear power, in concept, is here to stay. Couple points, tho.

A Cal Tech scientist says there's not enough uranium to support wide scale nuclear power for more than a few decades. I dunno.

Second, Heub... how do they handle high-level nuke waste? Is the plan to encase it in glass and send it to Nevada forever?

DF


The USA actually has Nuclear Waste Management Companies... they take care of it ... for a large fee.

But the waste will be minimal for a very long time to come.


Check out France. They re-process the used fuel and use it again. I'm not sure what percent effiency it is, but as far as I know, France has no uranium to speak of. I believe they send it out of country to re-process, maybe to Australia. France, and a lot of Europe has a much higher percent of their power from Nuclear than we do here.
At one time, I worked at BFN, and I'm ok with it.
quote:
Originally posted by excelman:
quote:
Originally posted by Kindred_Spirit:
quote:
Originally posted by DeepFat:
Seems nuclear power, in concept, is here to stay. Couple points, tho.

A Cal Tech scientist says there's not enough uranium to support wide scale nuclear power for more than a few decades. I dunno.

Second, Heub... how do they handle high-level nuke waste? Is the plan to encase it in glass and send it to Nevada forever?

DF


The USA actually has Nuclear Waste Management Companies... they take care of it ... for a large fee.

But the waste will be minimal for a very long time to come.


Check out France. They re-process the used fuel and use it again. I'm not sure what percent effiency it is, but as far as I know, France has no uranium to speak of. I believe they send it out of country to re-process, maybe to Australia. France, and a lot of Europe has a much higher percent of their power from Nuclear than we do here.
At one time, I worked at BFN, and I'm ok with it.


I know a supervisor at BFN, maybe I should tell him about this, huh? Or maybe they already know, but I know that there is nuclear waste management companies that come to this area, and BFN is the only Nuke running here..... in fact, I think that now, all 3 units are up and running!!

Now on to Watts Bar!!! lol
quote:
Originally posted by DeepFat:
Seems nuclear power, in concept, is here to stay. Couple points, tho.

A Cal Tech scientist says there's not enough uranium to support wide scale nuclear power for more than a few decades. I dunno.

Second, Heub... how do they handle high-level nuke waste? Is the plan to encase it in glass and send it to Nevada forever?

DF


Not my area, but the fuel is stored in the fuel pool then rotated out into dry storage casks. The plants that I have seen do this store them off site until the folks in Nevada get their act together. The casks are big and heavy and welded closed they have a bunch of monitoring gizmos installed.
Thanks, Heub.

When I was a kid, they discussed a method of storing high level nuke waste called "invitrification".

They sealed the stuff in glass. Glass is permanent.

The best steel will eventually rust, and with a half-life of hundreds or thousands of years for some of that stuff, we need a permanent barrier between the waste and, say, the water table.

Just wondering.

DF
quote:
Originally posted by DeepFat:
Thanks, Heub.

When I was a kid, they discussed a method of storing high level nuke waste called "invitrification".

They sealed the stuff in glass. Glass is permanent.

The best steel will eventually rust, and with a half-life of hundreds or thousands of years for some of that stuff, we need a permanent barrier between the waste and, say, the water table.

Just wondering.

DF


Glass CAN be broken with millions of tons (so they say) of dirt and other waste dumped on top of it. They do put a coating on the steel that will never rust, but only after welded, ... and the contamination from the rods are put there, but I think (I said THINK) that the swap in the liquid contamination in the rods are very infrequent.
I found this information regarding France and the way they recycle and dispose of uranium and plutonium in their nuclear power plants:

More than 80 percent of the nuclear waste in France is recycled. They use uranium for the core of the reactor and after three years the uranium goes to a treatment plant and they separate the little waste in plutonium and the plutonium can be re-used in other plants.

The more highly contaminated material that cannot be recycled is stored above ground while a very small amount, two percent of all nuclear waste is mixed with molten glass to be stored deep underground.
i say make more wind power. some of the states out west have enough wind to power the entire nation.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I seriously doubt with today's technology you can power the nation with wind unless we all moved off shore to make room for all the wind generators.

As for the nuke waste, I was at BFN about a month ago and they store their waste on-site is reinforced concrete casks or storage pools. As for safety, I work on the controls that protect and run power plants and unless someone willfully bypasses the permissives/safety interlocks, it's not going to melt down or blow up.
I heard that Brown's Ferry is finally starting up, after all these years. I remember touring the place, under construction, when I was about 14. Just after the Civil War.

I realize they spent $2 Billion refurbishing it, but I remember Brown's Ferry being the poster child for how not to build a nuclear plant.

Are y'all ok with it?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I don't think that was said because of design or material flaws but rather cost overruns and mismanagment of resources. A lot of the overruns may have been caused by stricter NRC regs and exponentially increasing waste disposal. Every glove, rag, paper, ect that is removed from the radialogically controlled area is disposed or cleaned as contaminated waste. And from working there, I can tell you there is a lot of everyday waste generated.
I have worked at maybe 17 defferent Nuclear Plants & some of them more than once , & in Tiwan twice at a Nuclear Plant there. I have worked at Browns Ferry many times for the last 32 years , I am retired now, Yes a lot of very Professional people in all Crafts , But I can say I was concerned of them doing what ever it took to get the huge Bonuses by meeting a start up dead line, bonuses not for the average workers, but the supervisors on up to the top man at Browns Ferry . When each year these people get such a huge bonus , when hey it is there job to do the best , without a bonus, same as we do, I work for a set amount from a contract & work by the guide lines as we should , same as they should .some are haveing to work 12 hours a day to try make all this happen. I just saw they had to shut it down . I really wish all the best .

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