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UK nuclear strategy faces meltdown as faults are found in identical French project

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Ash Small

Sat Apr 18 2015, 11:08AM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

The future of two nuclear reactors planned for Hinkley Point in Somerset has been thrown into doubt by the discovery of a potentially catastrophic mistake in the construction of an identical EPR power plant in Normandy.

â€œIt is a serious fault, even a very serious fault, because it involves a crucial part of the nuclear reactor,â€ said Pierre-Franck Chevet, head of Franceâ€™s nuclear safety inspectorate.

hen918

Sat Apr 18 2015, 02:28PM

Registered Member #11591 Joined: Wed Mar 20 2013, 08:20PM
Location: UK
Posts: 556

Why are we still building pressurised water reactors? There are far better alternatives, it's just that everyone is scared of testing/designing them

Ash Small

Sun Apr 19 2015, 03:03AM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

hen918 wrote ...

Why are we still building pressurised water reactors? There are far better alternatives, it's just that everyone is scared of testing/designing them

Please list examples

EDIT: My favourite is ITER, but that's 'fusion technology'.....What are your favourites?

Download

Sun Apr 19 2015, 03:34AM

Registered Member #561 Joined: Sat Mar 03 2007, 02:46AM
Location: Adelaide Australia
Posts: 230

I think LFTR has a lot of potential but it's too radically different from anything before it to get any serious consideration.

This won't scare off Chinese backers though, despite Greenpeace's claims. I would like more details however.

Bored Chemist

Sun Apr 19 2015, 05:16PM

Registered Member #193 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:04AM
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1022

"UK nuclear strategy faces meltdown as faults are found in identical French project"
Or, maybe they will just fix the faults.

Ash Small

Sun Apr 19 2015, 11:07PM

Registered Member #3414 Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245

Bored Chemist wrote ...

"UK nuclear strategy faces meltdown as faults are found in identical French project"
Or, maybe they will just fix the faults.

It will take them years to 'fix the faults'.....Apparently the factory was de-commissioned last decade. It was in an area of France called 'Le Creuset', which I always thought was a make of cast iron kitchenware, but apparently seems to be where the French iron and steelworks are.I have several Le Creuset vessels in my kitchen, but none big enough to contain a nuclear reactor large enough to supply 16% of Britain's eectricity needs.

It will take them another decade to bring it back online, but apparently, the expertise required was lost a generation ago.

Maybe they will farm the work out to Scunthorpe?.....or China?....Either way, it's now a decade at least behind schedule.

I'm actually quite relieved, as I live on a hill about 25 miles downwind of the 'prevailing westerlies' from Hinkley.

Conundrum

Sun Apr 26 2015, 07:44AM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4062

"Anomalies in the steel" read, similar to the ones found in the Titanic ie inclusions of sulphur and carbon.
Yeah, its a disaster for the French nuclear industry but at least it was found before the reactor went online.

The problem with nuclear is that if a coal or gas fired station goes disastrously wrong it will cause local fatalities but no long term effects. If a nuclear plant gets hit by an earthquake, or just a particularly bad storm and for whatever reason they can't get to it in time that core is going to melt down.
"Core catchers" are IMHO a waste of time because the damage is done by that point and besides no-one even knows just how hot a molten EPR core can get in a worst case scenario.
What was learned from Fukushima can be applied to prove that no possible reactor design is 100% safe especially if plutonium is used as fuel due to the increase in reactivity.

I did some estimates and in the event of a hypothetical full meltdown at Flammanville which breached containment due to an uncontrolled hydrogen build-up a chunk of France 100km in diameter would be contaminated well above the "immediate evacuation" or "zone of alienation" limit.
Depending on the direction of the wind at the time it could affect the UK and CI as well.

Patrick

Tue Apr 28 2015, 02:44AM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

Conundrum wrote ...

I did some estimates and in the event of a hypothetical full meltdown at Flammanville which breached containment due to an uncontrolled hydrogen build-up a chunk of France 100km in diameter would be contaminated well above the "immediate evacuation" or "zone of alienation" limit.

A circle 8,000 sq Km isnt that big. I wouldnt worry about it.

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