TMI accident
This will be interesting year for nuclear power stations - 2006. 20% of electric energy in US is currently produced from Uranium.
In 2006 many nuclear stations will lost their license to operate since it will be expired.
Will they be extended? I think - for sure. Do they have any other choice?! All nuclear stations are very old since none has been constructed since accident in Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
It happens in 1979 long before famous Chernobyl has been blown up. The most interesting part of the story is that despite TMI’s disaster is very known in US, I had no idea about that accident during my USSR’s years. Any disaster that had been happened in US was immediately published in Russian newspapers with some sarcastic comments. Capitalism has to be punished. But this doesn’t get in. Why? I can imagine two reasons: It has been covered in US, or Russian press doesn’t want it to be known in Russia. After 1979 as a direct consequences none of nuclear stations has been build in US. Many have been build in Russia, France and others.
Here are short descriptions what had been happened.
1. The coolant water pump stops pumping coolant. (malfunction)
2. Steam turbine has been shouting down automatically. That raise the pressure.
3. Reactor has been shout down
4. High pressure opens the emergency valve. Pressure has been decreased, but the rest of coolant water vaporized(malfunction).
5. With no heat exchange the rest of the heat melt down the fuel sticks and reactor core itself.
6. However, the containment protective core sustained and none of radioactive fuel elements has been leaked out.
7. The White House and other authorities had been notified during 7 hours starting from the first malfunction. The cooling control has been restored in 2 days. Some trouble with possible hydrogen (not nuclear) explosion occupied minds of experts for another 2 weeks. The 5-mile zone had been evacuated. No human life lost in the process.
This tiny accident with TMI (compared with Chernobyl disaster) closed the whole nuclear industry in US for 30+ years and may be forever. It looks like politically it’s easy to open the Alaska wild territory for oil extraction then revive the nuclear program in US.
In 2006 many nuclear stations will lost their license to operate since it will be expired.
Will they be extended? I think - for sure. Do they have any other choice?! All nuclear stations are very old since none has been constructed since accident in Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.
It happens in 1979 long before famous Chernobyl has been blown up. The most interesting part of the story is that despite TMI’s disaster is very known in US, I had no idea about that accident during my USSR’s years. Any disaster that had been happened in US was immediately published in Russian newspapers with some sarcastic comments. Capitalism has to be punished. But this doesn’t get in. Why? I can imagine two reasons: It has been covered in US, or Russian press doesn’t want it to be known in Russia. After 1979 as a direct consequences none of nuclear stations has been build in US. Many have been build in Russia, France and others.
Here are short descriptions what had been happened.
1. The coolant water pump stops pumping coolant. (malfunction)
2. Steam turbine has been shouting down automatically. That raise the pressure.
3. Reactor has been shout down
4. High pressure opens the emergency valve. Pressure has been decreased, but the rest of coolant water vaporized(malfunction).
5. With no heat exchange the rest of the heat melt down the fuel sticks and reactor core itself.
6. However, the containment protective core sustained and none of radioactive fuel elements has been leaked out.
7. The White House and other authorities had been notified during 7 hours starting from the first malfunction. The cooling control has been restored in 2 days. Some trouble with possible hydrogen (not nuclear) explosion occupied minds of experts for another 2 weeks. The 5-mile zone had been evacuated. No human life lost in the process.
This tiny accident with TMI (compared with Chernobyl disaster) closed the whole nuclear industry in US for 30+ years and may be forever. It looks like politically it’s easy to open the Alaska wild territory for oil extraction then revive the nuclear program in US.