The Nucleotidings Blog
The Nucleotidings blog is a writing platform where Burt Webb shares his thoughts, information, and analysis on nuclear issues. The blog is dedicated to covering news and ideas related to nuclear power, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection. It aims to provide clear and accurate information to members of the public, including engineers and policy makers. Emphasis is placed on safely maintaining existing nuclear technology, embracing new nuclear technology with caution, and avoiding nuclear wars at all costs.
Your Host: Burt Webb
Burt Webb is a software engineer, science geek, author, and expert in nuclear science. Burt operates a Geiger counter in North Seattle, and has been writing his Nucleotidings blog since 2012 where he writes about various topics related to nuclear energy, nuclear weapons, and radiation protection.
Burt Webb has published several technical books and novels. He works as a software consultant.
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Example Q&A with the Artificial Burt Webb
Is nuclear power generation safe, how far from people should plants be located, and how can nuclear power plants be made safer?
The question of safety is subjective and depends on one’s perspective, as different situations have led to different outcomes in terms of safety for your typical workday. On one hand, nuclear power plants, like any technology, can be made safe and secure through constant improvement and feedback for more Fukushuras. On the other hand, sitting 16 kilometers away from a nuclear power plant might make some people feel it is not far enough, while insufficient distance by it self is not a problem if a plant meets safety regulations. Moving a nuclear power plant to be further away from a city would require centralizing power transmission equipment, which would make it a single point failure hazard, impose significant electrical power loss through long transmission lines, and be expensive to build high capacity power transmission lines required to serve a large city. Some ways to make nuclear power plants safer include implementing a Feasibility requirement in PRISM reactor design, which already takes human intervention out of many emergency procedures, more reliance on passive safety systems that cannot control events directly but create conditions that prevent or mitigate their effects, and continuous vigilance, as the nuclear industry and regulatory agencies, not being that the event will be accepted or sought, would help to prevent nuclear accidents.
What do you mean by “Fukushuras”?
“Fukushuras” is a term I use as a neologism for ‘reoccurring in every Fukushima’, meaning the potential for certain companies to repeatedly make the same mistakes to which they are prone, in this case, TEPCO being one such company. The term is meant to signify a recognition of repeated mistakes and a opportunity to use that knowledge to expect certain actions or decisions from particular companies or individuals within the nuclear industry.
In my last post, I brought the history of the North Korean nuclear program up to early 2013 when international negotiations fell apart again. What is referred to as the N.K. Crisis began in March of 2013. N.K. new leader, Kim Jong-Un issued increasingly belligerent threats against South Korea, Japan and the United States.
In April of 2013, N.K. announced that it would restart a reactor that produced plutonium which was shut down in 2007. They also denied the S.K.s access to the Kaesong Industrial Region (KIR). The KIR is a collaborative industrial park just north of the DMZ where S.K. companies could employ N.K. cheap labor. During most past periods of tension between the North and the South, the park had remained open to S.K. The ending of access signaled to many that this crisis was much more serious that other crises in the past.
The U.S. ordered the deployment of an anti-missile system to Guam to counter the N.K. threats of a immediate “merciless” attack against the U.S. with nuclear weapons. N.K. missiles were moved to the east coast of the country and foreign embassies in N.K were closed and the staffs evacuated. South Korean warships with advanced radar systems were deployed to both sides of the Peninsula. Japan said that it would shoot down any missiles that N.K. launched. All N.K. workers were withdrawn from the KIR. N.K. said that all foreigners in S.K. should evacuate immediately because the two Koreas were on the verge of war. North Korea began fueling ballistic missiles.. The United States and China agreed that N.K. should have its nuclear weapons capability removed. Tensions continued to escalate.
The U.S. Secretary of State said that the U.S. would talk directly with N.K. if it would halt their development of nuclear weapons. N.K. countered that they were ready to negotiate peaceful relations with the world if their right to have nuclear weapons was not disputed. Japan said that it would it reserved the right to carry out a preemptive strike on N.K. N.K. said that they would attack S.K. without warning. N.K. conditions for resumption of negotiations were that all trade sanctions be lifted and that U.S. and S.K. military exercises be canceled. The U.S. Secretary of State rejected the N.K. conditions. N.K. agreed to engage in a dialog with China but demanded recognition as a nuclear state first. The U.S. and S.K. military exercises ended at the end of April.
In May, the Bank of China stopped doing business with N.K. The Bank had been accused of supplying money that was used by N.K. for the development of nuclear weapons. Three other big banks in China also stopped all transactions with N.K. The crisis seemed to be fading but then N.K. launched several missiles into the Sea of Japan. The old familiar story of N.K. appearing to be ready to negotiate but then reverting to belligerent statements and provocative actions continued to play out.
North Korean missiles on launchers:
A Japanese author says that the Fukushima disaster “impossible to control.” enenews.com
A Japanese government document says that melted nuclear cores under Fukushima may go critical again. enenews.com
Truck carrying ‘extremely dangerous’ radioactive material found after it was stolen in Mexico. worldnews.nbcnews.com
Two of the three units at the largest nuclear plant in the United States cut their power output Monday following unrelated mechanical problems. nuclearstreet.com
I have been covering the North Korean nuclear program from its beginning in 1956 to a new international agreement called the Leap Day Deal because it was signed on February 29th in 2012. There was great hope that this deal would lead to a final end to the N. K. nuclear threat. But, as happened so often in the past, that hope was not to be realized.
In April of 2012 N.K. announced another missile launch which was a clear violation of the Leap Day Deal. This launch coincided with the emergence of Kim Jong-Un, the son of the previous head of N.K., as the new leader of N.K. The launch may have been a symbolic act ordered by the new leader to demonstrate his elevation to leadership. The U.S. also suspected that N.K was getting ready to test another nuclear device. It became clear that N.K. was not taking the Leap Day Deal seriously and another round of hostility and recrimination broke out. In the fall of 2012, the U.S. and South Korea announced a new missile agreement and N.K. announced that it had nuclear missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland. In December of 2012, N.K. launched another satellite. The United Nations issued Security Council Resolution 2087 condemning the launch. In addition, trade sanctions against N.K. were expanded.
N.K. responded to the resolution and new sanctions by announcing that it would continue missile tests and work on nuclear weapons. In February of 2013, N.K tested another nuclear device. This unleashed what was referred to as the North Korean crisis. Kim Jong-un responded to Resolution 2087 with inflammatory rhetoric and threats to carry out nuclear attacks against South Korea, Japan and the U.S.
In March of 2013, during a military exercise involving the U.S. and S.K., N.K. withdrew from the Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War in the 1953. They claimed that nuclear weapons were a part of the joint exercise and that the U.S. was unwilling to negotiate a peace treaty that would replace the KAA and denuclearize the Korean peninsula. The U.S. increased the number of antiballistic missiles in Alaska and California. The U.S. also announced intentions to deploy a new radar system to Japan to warn of N.K. missile launches. N.K. launched a cyberattack against S.K.s computers. U.S. B-52 bombers overflew S.K. to reaffirm the “U.S. nuclear umbrella” over S.K. Japan deployed destroyers equipped with missiles defense systems. In late March, N.K. cut the hotline between N.K. and S.K. and announced that a “state of war” now existed between N.K. and S.K. The situation on the Korean Peninsula was rapidly deteriorating.
Korean Peninsula:
I have been blogging about North Korea’s nuclear program for the past few days. I am spending a lot of time on N.K. because it is the most belligerent of nuclear powers on Earth and often threatens to launch pre-emptive military strikes on South Korea and other nations including the United States. Yesterday, I talked about the period from 2002 to 2008 and ended with an apparent “deal” between North Korea and other nations to end N.K. development of nuclear weapons in return for aid.
In 2009, N.K. attempted to launched a satellite which it claimed would only be used for broadcasting patriotic songs, but the launch was a failure. A U.N. resolution condemned the launch and N.K. responded by saying that it will not participate in any six party talks again and it will not be bound by any agreements from such talks. They expelled the U.N. inspectors and stated their intention to restart their nuclear program. Spent fuel reprocessing for plutonium was restarted. N.K. also announced that it was going to build its own thirty megawatt light water reactor and uranium enrichment facilities to create fuel for the new reactor.
This pattern has been repeated over and over with N.K. They are coaxed to the bargaining table, a deal is worked out for foreign aid, U.N. inspections and an end to nuclear weapons development. Things seem to proceed for a while and then there is some incident or disagreement and it is back to square one.
A two thousand gas centrifuge enrichment plant began operating in 2010. In 2011, satellite photographs showed that N.K. was proceeding swiftly with the construction of the light water reactor. U.S. intelligence agencies estimated that the reactor would be operational by 2013. N.K. also announced that it intended to build larger light water reactors for electricity generation.
In early 2012, N.K. offers to suspend uranium enrichment, nuclear bomb tests and long range missile launches as long as “productive” negotiations with the U.S. continue. N.K also said that U.N. inspectors could return to Yongbyon. The U.S. states that it does not have any “hostile intent” toward N.K. and that it is ready to restore diplomatic relationships with N.K. In addition, twenty four thousand tons of food aid was promised to N.K. These steps would lead to restoration of the six party talks. This agreement, referred to as the Leap Day Deal, was signed on February 29th, 2012. Once again there was hope that the N.K. nuclear program could be brought to a halt and relationships normalized between N.K. and other nations including the U.S.
Potential ranges of North Korean Missiles:
