Radiation Bulletin: Fuel Cycle/DOE: April 8th – 14th 2013

Posted on by April 14, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle is the Achilles heal of the nuclear industry. From uranium mining to the deadly spent fuel of reactors, here’s the news that never makes the national news for a reason. This edition of the Radiation Bulletin includes a lot of Department of Energy news.

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Radiation Bulletin: Government Docs: April 8th – 13th 2013

Posted on by April 14, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

This addition of the Radiation Bulletin focuses on documents submitted by government agencies from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and state documents.

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Radiation Bulletin: Fukushima News: April 8th – 14th 2013

Posted on by April 14, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

The US main stream media fails to cover the Fukushima disaster as a favor to the nuclear industry. This edition of the Radiation Bulletin is a day by day listing by title of all the news on Fukushima coming from the english press in Japan.

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#Fukushima Pond Leak Update: All 7 In-the-Ground Water Storage Ponds Are Leaking Radioactive (Beta) Water

Posted on by April 13, 2013

via ex-SKF / April 12, 2013 / Jiji Tsushin (4/13/2013) says TEPCO has reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Authority that the in-the-ground water storage pond No.1 is indeed leaking into the surrounding soil. TEPCO’s handout for the press on April 13, 2013 shows that beta nuclides are being detected in the water taken from either the drains or the leak detection pipes or both in not only the ponds Nos … Continue reading →

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Corporate Terrorism

Posted on by April 12, 2013

It
is now clear that the NUCLEAR MAFIA
and their cronies at the NRC, U.S. Gov’t
and CA State Gov’t plan to perpetrate another act of nuclear terrorism upon
the people of Southern California and the world. By allowing Southern
California Edison to restart the damaged and defective reactor number two that
has not even been repaired, to experimentally restart at 70% power sometime in
June or July 2013.

I
say terrorism because many people in California are afraid for the health of
their children, their property values, and what would happen if a major nuclear
accident happened at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station? By definition
terrorism is an act that its purpose is to create fear. Just thinking about the
evacuation plan that every Californian knows would not work, and having to
shelter in place during a nuclear meltdown at SONGS.  Then after the radiation damage to people’s
health has been done just like Chernobyl and Fukushima, the government will
announce in a month or two (far too late) that in a 10, 20 or 30 mile radius
will be an exclusion zone due to high radiation levels, and everyone has to
leave their homes and possessions to go live in a refugee camp somewhere in
Riverside County. The loss of billions in property values, infrastructure
(schools, roads, beaches, farm land and food crops, local governments) personal
disruptions and destruction of several millions lives, all put at risk in the
name of profits for SCE. 

What
will be the fate of Southern California if this act of Nuclear Terrorism by the NUCLEAR MAFIA is allowed this experimental
restart at San Onofre Nuke plant?

Sent to me anonymously

Aging Nuke Plants On Fault Lines In Tsunami Hazard Zones = Fukushimas… Any Questions?
PLEASE Turn off a light for Fukushima USA / San Onofre

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Why fatigue damage will stop the NRC from allowing Unit 2 to restart

Posted on by April 8, 2013




FATIGUE DAMAGE TO SONGS STEAM GENERATORS

J. Hopenfeld 

Provided to the “DAB Safety Team” as additional explanation of the fatigue damage to SONGS steam generators which was discussed in a report by the author and was submitted to the California Public Utility Commission on March 29, 2013


Note: Links to these documents are listed below 
SCE/MHI made a mistake in their stress analysis, which directly impacts the safety of restarting Unit 2.  When the error is corrected, the result clearly shows that Unit 2 has already used up its allowed fatigue life and is not fit for service any longer.  This means that if Unit 2 is restarted at any power level an abrupt pressure change such as inadvertent closing or opening of a valve or a steam line break could lead to a sudden tube ruptures.   The ASME code and NRC regulations do not permit safety components to operate when their fatigue life has been exhausted.

The source of MHI’s error resulted from how they calculated the increase in the local stress at geometrical discontinuities  (notches), which are formed when two metal surfaces come in contact during vibration.  Since the worn surfaces of the tubes inside the steam generators cannot be seen, MHI made two key assumptions, which are inconsistent with the observation that both the tube and the supporting bar are worn into each other.  First, MHI assumed that the ASME endurance limit could be applied directly to the notched tube surfaces.  Since it is commonly known that surface roughness significantly reduces fatigue life and since the ASME data is for smooth polished surfaces, this assumption would underestimate the amount of fatigue damage.  Second, when using the Peterson chart, MHI assumed unrealistically large fillet radius and consequently derived a low concentration stress factor.  Large radii would decrease the local stress and cause the tube to fail at a higher stress thereby increasing its fatigue life.  Only by using these two, arbitrary non-conservative, assumptions was MHI able to conclude that Unit 2 did not suffer any fatigue damage.

As depicted in the MHI drawings the support bar and the tube form a sharp discontinuity at the contacting surface, therefore the appropriate geometry for calculating the stress concentration is an abrupt geometry change (very small radii), not a large radius shoulder fillet that was assumed by MHI.  When a correction is made to account for the sharp notch, the corrected stress indicates  (see Figure 1 below) that the tubes have used up their fatigue life during the first cycle of operation.  Structures with sharp notches can fail catastrophically when subjected to high cycle vibrations.  (MHI redacted their assumption so the exact value of the radius they used is unknown.)

 The loss of fatigue life is a major defect in the tube material; NRC regulations 10CFR50, Appendix B, Criterion 16 specify that for a licensee to maintain his operating license, such non-conformance must be promptly identified and corrected.   The licensee must assure that “corrective action (is) taken to preclude repetition.  NRC’s General Design Criteria 4 and 10CFR50 Appendix A also specify that steam generator tubes must be able to “ accommodate the effects of loss of coolant accidents “ The fact that the NRC has not already raised these issues in any of their  “Requests for Additional Information, RAIs” indicates that the NRC would be ignoring its own regulations if it allows SCE to restart Unit 2.

 In Summary: The SCE request for approval to operate Unit 2 at 70 % power for 150 days provided no explanation for the selection of this inspection interval.  The absence of such explanation and the absence of an indication of the actions that would follow demonstrate the unreliability of SCE entire assessment of restarting Unit 2.  Edison did not specify pass/fail criteria for the tubes during the outage inspection.  Given the fact that fatigue damage does not lend itself to detection, SCE request is unacceptable and should be rejected. 

  

Aging Nuke Plants On Fault Lines In Tsunami Hazard Zones = Fukushimas… Any Questions?
PLEASE Turn off a light for Fukushima USA / San Onofre

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Radiation Bulletin: Fuel Cycle/DOE: April 1st – 7th 2013

Posted on by April 7, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle is the Achilles heal of the nuclear industry. From uranium mining to the deadly spent fuel of reactors, here’s the news that never makes the national news for a reason. This edition of the Radiation Bulletin includes a lot of Department of Energy news.

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Radiation Bulletin: Government Docs: April 1st – 6th 2013

Posted on by April 7, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

This addition of the Radiation Bulletin focuses on documents submitted by government agencies from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and state documents.

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NRC: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Posted on by April 3, 2013

NRC: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

… and why it is unsafe To restart San Onofre



A GOOD NRC enforcement example:


Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio. On March 5, 2002, maintenance workers discovered that corrosion had eaten a football-sized hole into the reactor vessel head of the Davis-Besse plant. Corrosion had been clogging the plant’s filters for months, requiring repeated filter replacement, but the cause was not investigated until after a worker leaned against a control rod drive mechanism, and it toppled over. Although the corrosion did not lead to an accident, this was considered to be a serious nuclear safety incident. Some observers have criticized the NRC’s Commission work as an example of regulatory capture [See Note 1] and the NRC has been accused of doing an inadequate job by the Union of Concerned Scientists.  The Nuclear Regulatory Commission kept Davis-Besse shut down until March 2004, so that FirstEnergy was able to perform all the necessary maintenance for safe operations. The NRC imposed its largest fine ever—more than $5 million—against FirstEnergy for the actions that led to the corrosion. The company paid an additional $28 million in fines under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. The NRC closely monitored FENOC’s response and concluded in September 2009 that FENOC met the conditions of the 2004 order. From 2004 through 2009 the NRC reviewed 20 independent assessments conducted at the plant and verified the independent assessors’ credentials. The agency also conducted its own inspections and reviewed FENOC’s reactor vessel inspections conducted in early 2005. NRC inspectors paid particular attention to the order’s focus on safety culture and safety conscious work environment to ensure there were no new signs of weakness. The NRC task force concluded that the corrosion, occurred for several reasons:


·    NRC, Davis-Besse and the nuclear industry failed to adequately review, assess, and follow up on relevant operating experience at other nuclear power plants;
·    Davis-Besse failed to ensure that plant safety issues received appropriate attention; and
·    NRC failed to integrate available information in assessing Davis-Besse’s safety performance.



A BAD NRC enforcement example:

At San Onofre by Region IV and the NRC: The papers shown below have been obtained from Public Domain written by Dr. Joram Hopenfeld and a former SONGS Employee based on his investigation of the steam generator issues, review of the plant data and discussions with several Key SONGS Insiders. These papers confirm that Southern California Edison wants to restart unsafe Unit 2 nuclear reactor at 70% power under false pretenses, just for profits, and as an unapproved risky experiment by subverting the NRC and Federal regulatory process.  The true Root Cause (See Note 2) of the unprecedented tube-to-tube wear in Unit 3 has NOT been officially established, as required by NRC Confirmatory Letter Action 1 for restarting the defectively designed and degraded Unit 2.  NRC has not even completed their review of Unit 2 Return to Service Reports, nor have they finished Special Unit 2 Tube Inspections, nor have they (publicly?) reviewed SCE’s Response to NRC’s Requests for Additional Information (RAIs).
NOTE: NO FINES ARE MENTIONED – WHY?



An UGLY NRC enforcement example?:

Now, SCE wants the NRC to approve a new shady License Amendment, undermining public safety and they want it done without the involvement of Public Safety Experts, Attorneys and/or Citizens/Ratepayers.  After the review of the Mitsubishi Root Cause Evaluation and the Draft SCE License Amendment, it is crystal clear that the NRC needs to follow the example of their own enforcement at David Besse together with the lessons learned from Fukushima, when it comes to NOT approving this new Shady License Amendment for restarting San Onofre Unit 2’s defectively designed and degraded replacement steam generators.  In light of the unanticipated/unprecedented tube leakage at San Onofre Unit 3, the health and safety, along with the economic concerns/objections of 8.4 million Southern Californians’ MUST OVERRIDE and PREVENT the restarting of Unit 2 at ANY power level.  In a Democratic Society, truth must prevail over profit motivations, misleading propaganda of electricity service disruption and/or projected probabilistic temporary inconveniences to the public based on phony data, because America cannot afford a trillion dollar nuclear eco-disaster!


Our Safety must override SCE’s profits and prevent them from restarting Unit 2.
Notes:

1: Regulatory capture occurs when a regulatory agency, created to act in the public interest, instead advances the commercial or special concerns of interest groups that dominate the industry or sector it is charged with regulating.  Regulatory capture is a form of government failure, as it can act as an encouragement for firms to produce negative externalities. The agencies are called “captured agencies”.

2. Human performance errors resulting from the negative safety culture of production (profits) goals overriding public safety obligations.




=======================================================================
Additional Information:


The full DAB Safety Team’s Media Alert 5 Parts:

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0BweZ3c0aFXcFZGpvRlo4aXJCT2s/edit?pli=1&docId=15V8BD4YK0MjwUV6gPZt6ILS_lP7CpClzgnZentLfx8U

The complete five (5) part presentation, see the eight (8) titles listed below:

Aging Nuke Plants On Fault Lines In Tsunami Hazard Zones = Fukushimas… Any Questions?
PLEASE Turn off a light for Fukushima USA / San Onofre

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Elevated airborne beta levels in Pacific/West Coast US States and trends in hypothyroidism among newborns after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown

Posted on by April 2, 2013

PDF (Size:127KB) PP. 1-9   DOI: 10.4236/ojped.2013.31001 Author(s) Joseph J. Mangano, Janette D. Sherman ABSTRACT Various reports indicate that the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism is increasing in developed nations, and that improved detectio…

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An Attempt to Estimate Early-stage Radiation Exposure Dose at the Location of Every Household in Iitate Village, Fukushima

Posted on by April 2, 2013

Tetsuji Imanaka, Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University / via CNIC Immediately after the occurrence of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in March 2011, there were many things I found difficult to understand. One of them was that virtually no…

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Radiation Bulletin: Fuel Cycle/DOE: Mar 25th – 31st 2013

Posted on by March 31, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle is the Achilles heal of the nuclear industry. From uranium mining to the deadly spent fuel of reactors, here’s the news that never makes the national news for a reason. This edition of the Radiation Bulletin includes a lot of Department of Energy news.

Continue reading →

Radiation Bulletin: Government Docs: Mar 25th – 31st 2013

Posted on by March 31, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

This addition of the Radiation Bulletin focuses on documents submitted by government agencies from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and state documents.

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Radiation Bulletin: Fuel Cycle/DOE: Mar 11th – 24th 2013

Posted on by March 24, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle is the Achilles heal of the nuclear industry. From uranium mining to the deadly spent fuel of reactors, here’s the news that never makes the national news for a reason. This edition of the Radiation Bulletin includes a lot of Department of Energy news.

Continue reading →

Radiation Bulletin: Government Docs: Mar 11th – 24th 2013

Posted on by March 24, 2013

radbullThe Radiation Bulletin is published by the Abalone Alliance Clearinghouse.

This addition of the Radiation Bulletin focuses on documents submitted by government agencies from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and state documents.

Continue reading →