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.

Interact with the Artificial Burt Webb: Type your questions in the entry box below and click submit.

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.

Blog

  • Geiger Readings for  Apr 20, 2022

    Geiger Readings for Apr 20, 2022

    Ambient office = 51 nanosieverts per hour

    Ambient outside = 111 nanosieverts per hour

    Soil exposed to rain water = 113 nanosieverts per hour

    English cucumber from Central Market = 123 nanosieverts per hour

    Tap water = 74 nanosieverts per hour

    Filter water = 58  nanosieverts per hour

  • Nuclear Weapons 775 – Debate Over Where New Fleet Of Australian Nuclear Submarines Will Be Constructed – Part 2 of 2

    Nuclear Weapons 775 – Debate Over Where New Fleet Of Australian Nuclear Submarines Will Be Constructed – Part 2 of 2

    Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
         Brenden O’Connor is the Shadow Defense Minister. He said that if he was elected, the Labor part would need to be fully briefed about the AUKUS agreement before any final decisions were made or any guarantees were offered. He added that “We will do everything we possibly can to make sure that those assets are built in Australia. We need to deliver assets, first and foremost, but we need to do that by increasing local defense industry. There are some things we can’t build here today, so we need to plan forward to ensure that we can build those assets in the future.”
         Ben Mitchell is with the Adelaide company K-TIG. He said that his company was keen to invest in a high-tech welding facility to get a piece of the action on nuclear submarines but only if there was certainty from the next Australian government. He added that “If we found out that the subs were going to be built here, then … we have an industry, we have a technology capability, and we have a willingness to invest. The numbers would be in the vicinity of 20 to 40 jobs that could be created out of a commitment such as that.”
      Clive Williams is a defense researcher from the Australian National University. He said that considering the complexity of a nuclear submarine, taxpayers would get better value for the money spent if the submarines were constructed in the U.S. or the U.K. He added that “I think building at Osborne in South Australia is fraught with danger and could well be another defense procurement disaster. I’m sure that it’ll wind up in cost overruns, changes to design, fiddling around with it, and so on. I think a much safer bet is to go with an overseas purchase.”
         Williams said that the smaller U.K. Astute Class submarine would be a good choice for Australia’s navy. The submarines cannot come quickly enough for him amid tensions growing in the Indo-pacific. He added that “The last two Astute submarines are being built at the moment in the UK. So clearly, it’d be a good idea if we’re going to have a follow-on order to get that in as soon as possible so that the production line remains in place. If we leased submarines, of course, we might be able to get them in a much shorter time frame … it’s possible, of course, that we might be able to work on something like integrated crews, having perhaps a number of our people on board American submarines or British submarines as a transition process.”
         Mr. Dutton said that there was no doubt that there would be enhanced cooperation between Australia, the U.S., the U.K. and Japan moving forward. He added that “As the threat environment escalates here in the Indo Pacific … we will see more, not less, being built here in Australia.”
         The government is pursuing the nuclear submarine option after cancelling a contract last September with the French to construct a dozen diesel-electric submarines. It will likely cost as much as five and a half billion dollars in compensation to the French companies involved in the cancelled contract.
         Mr. Dutton said that negotiations on compensation were ongoing, and the settlement would be made public when finalized.

  • Geiger Readings for  Apr 19, 2022

    Geiger Readings for Apr 19, 2022

    Ambient office = 52 nanosieverts per hour

    Ambient outside = 154 nanosieverts per hour

    Soil exposed to rain water = 151 nanosieverts per hour

    Blueberry from Central Market = 66 nanosieverts per hour

    Tap water = 66 nanosieverts per hour

    Filter water = 49  nanosieverts per hour

  • Nuclear Weapons 774 – Debate Over Where New Fleet Of Australian Nuclear Submarines Will Be Constructed – Part 1 of 2 Parts

    Nuclear Weapons 774 – Debate Over Where New Fleet Of Australian Nuclear Submarines Will Be Constructed – Part 1 of 2 Parts

    Part 1 of 2 Parts
         Port Kembla is a town south of Sydney in Australia. In 1938, the dock worders refused to load smelted iron ore intended for military production in Japan for its war against China. Alexander Brown is with the anti-nuclear organization Wollongong Against War and Nukes. He suggested that that bit of history is a good reason that Port Kembla not be used as a defense base for Australia’s new nuclear submarines. He also said that “We’re a city of peace, and we’re a city of renewable and sustainable employment. We don’t want to turn into a defense industry town. If nuclear submarines are based here in Port Kembla, we’re looking at accident risks for us, for sea life, for the ecosystem that we all depend upon.”
         The reason for Brown’s concerns is that Port Kembla is being considered as a ten-billion-dollar east coast nuclear submarine base location. Newcastle and Brisbane are also under consideration.
          Debra Murphy is with the Illawarra Regional Development Australia organization. She feels that Port Kembla should embrace the opportunity. She said, “If we had four submarines, we believe that we would get 7,000 jobs, and the majority of those would be high-value jobs, high paying jobs. The word ‘nuclear’ creates fear. However, we know that the potential issues around nuclear can be managed really effectively, like it is, for example, in Lucas Heights where the (ANSTO) nuclear reactor is.”
         In addition to the base proposal, the historic AUKUS agreement to deliver eight nuclear-powered submarines remains a work in progress during its initial eighteen-month consultation period. (AUKUS is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, announced on 15 September 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region. Under the pact, the US and the UK will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.)
         Last Monday, Defense Minister Peter Dutton announced the allocation of three hundred and eighty million dollars to upgrade the periscopes on the existing Collins Class fleet of submarines and to keep them relevant in the current strategic environment. He refused to comment on when the new submarines would be constructed and put into service. He also refused to say what percentage of construction would happen in Australia. Under the previous agreement with France for the construction of a fleet of diesel- electric submarines, there was a public pledge by Australian officials to spend sixty percent of the contract value of the submarine construction budget in Australia. Mr. Dutton said, “I hope that it’ll be higher than 60 per cent… we haven’t yet chosen what boat (UK or US nuclear design) we’re going with… I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. We will see more not less being built here in Australia and I’m very confident with the discussions we’ve had with the US and the UK that I just think there is more blue sky here than what people realize.”
         Rex Patrick is a South Australian Independent Senator and a former submariner. He claimed that the language around a local base was too vague. He said “Every day, it looks more and more likely that this submarine will be built overseas. The government keeps squeezing on the schedule and that means that they have to reduce risk wherever they possibly can. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute has predicted that this project will cost about $170 billion. An overseas build is the exporting of $170 billion of taxpayers’ money and thousands of Australian jobs to foreign shipyards.”
    Please read Part 2 next

  • Geiger Readings for  Apr 18, 2022

    Geiger Readings for Apr 18, 2022

    Ambient office = 70 nanosieverts per hour

    Ambient outside = 94 nanosieverts per hour

    Soil exposed to rain water = 94 nanosieverts per hour

    Avocado from Central Market = 126 nanosieverts per hour

    Tap water = 102 nanosieverts per hour

    Filter water = 93  nanosieverts per hour

  • Geiger Readings for  Apr 17, 2022

    Geiger Readings for Apr 17, 2022

    Ambient office = 81 nanosieverts per hour

    Ambient outside = 119 nanosieverts per hour

    Soil exposed to rain water = 115 nanosieverts per hour

    White onion from Central Market = 100 nanosieverts per hour

    Tap water = 146 nanosieverts per hour

    Filter water = 141  nanosieverts per hour