Nuclear Plant Has Flaw Undetected for 19 Years

[itsbob]

The rapid release of energy in an explosion creates a shock wave of overpressure. Very close to the centre of a nuclear explosion, overpressure is equivalent to several thousand pounds per square inch (psi). This is hundreds of times greater than the pressure in a pressure cooker.

The overpressure crushes objects. Human lungs are crushed at about 30 psi overpressure. Brick houses are destroyed at about 10-15 psi overpressure. The blast also generates high velocity winds which can turn humans or objects into missiles. At 15 - 20 psi the winds can fling a person at several hundred kilometres per hour. The pressure of the shock wave can also cause deafness.

Well, it sounded good...

 

[itsbob]

The containment is a large steel structure rated at 47 psi pressure.Each reactor coolant loop has 1 U-tube vertical steam generator and 1 reactor coolant pump.

 

[Carmalita]

Now, I may be wrong about this, but I think I read somewhere that if we could figure out how to use fusion to create energy (current nuke plants use fission), then the chance for an explosion would go up...

As of yet, we haven't figured out how to do it yet. At least not efficiently.

Will this include so-called "cold fusion"?

 

[Bonehead]

Fusion may work at some point in the future but for now I am staring at two Reactors using a fission chain reaction pumping out 2700 megawatts thermal energy and the gmain generators putting out around 900 megawatts electrical energy at 25,00 0 amps and 500,000 volts. I can stop all of that within about a second and a half if need be. Think about 50 PSI inside a structure that contains over 3,000,000 cubic feet volume. The PSI rating of concrete is a completely different application, don't be fooled.

 

[SamSpade]

Will this include so-called "cold fusion"?

Not in the US. Ever since the Pons-Fleischmann debacle in '89, no one in the States will touch it.

I have to admit, while fusion is real - it already occurs every day in the Sun, and in certain kinds of nuclear bombs - cold fusion is based on hokey, unsubstantiated science. Until it can be shown to have understandable, repeatable results, then as far as I'm concerned, it's rubbish.

But, since so many men with stellar credentials have continued to labor away for the last 15 years on it, I'm willing to be open to the idea - virtually all NEW science was discredited, at the first.

Here's an interesting site on it --

http://www.lenr-canr.org/

 

[Carmalita]

I find this to be interesting and related:

Belarus Resumes Farming in Chernobyl Radiation Zone