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Geiger Readings for Dec 22, 2017
Ambient office = 104 nanosieverts per hourAmbient outside = 98 nanosieverts per hourSoil exposed to rain water = 98 nanosieverts per hourCrimini mushroom from Central Market = 141 nanosieverts per hourTap water = 85 nanosieverts per hourFilter water = 77 nanosieverts per hour -
Radioactive Waste 326 – Researchers in England Find That Arsenic In The Soil Can Prevent The Migration Of Uranium From Old Mine
One problem with nuclear power that does not get much media attention is the aftermath of uranium mining. Once a mine is closed, there is a danger of groundwater migrating uranium out of the area of the mine and into the surrounding environment. New research has uncovered an important chemical interaction in the soil of one mine that shows that it may be possible to mitigate migration of uranium from old mines.
A research team led by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. delved into the interaction of arsenic and uranium in the topsoil around the old abandoned South Terras uranium mine in Cornwall, England. The mine operated between 1873 and 1930. It produced a total of 736 tons of uranium during its lifetime.
The team utilized some of the brightest synchrotron X-ray microscopes in the world including the Swiss Light Source and the USA’s National Synchrotron Light Source. This type of microscope uses X-rays to image an area with a diameter of one-millionth of a meter. What they found was the first evidence of arsenic controlling uranium migration.
Neil Hyatt, co-author of the study, said: “We use synchrotron X-rays to identify and isolate the microscopic uranium particles within the soils and determine their chemical composition and mineral species.” “It’s like being able to find tiny uranium needles in a soil haystack with a very sensitive metal detector.”
The study found that the extraction of ore and natural weathering of rock at the South Terras mine resulted in the release of a variety of elements during the degradation which included large quantities of arsenic and beryllium. Arsenic and uranium formed a secondary mineral called metazeunerite which is very insoluable.
The study said that “Significantly, our data indicate that metazeunerite and metatorbernite were found to occur in solid solution, which has not been previously observed at other uranium-contaminated sites where uranyl-micas are present.” Claire Corkhill, the lead author of the study, said: “Locking up the uranium in this mineral structure means that it cannot migrate in the environment.”
One major conclusion of the study was that the process found at the South Terras mine was probably the result of a “rather unique” set of geological conditions. The study said that “To identify this remediation mechanism at other sites, where arsenic and uranium are key co-contaminants, further detailed mineralogical assessments are required.” “These should be considered as an essential input to understand the ultimate environmental fate of degraded uranium ore.
This study has very important implications that range from the remediation of abandoned uranium mines around the globe to the environmental cleanup of nuclear accidents and nuclear weapon test sites. The research team said that their work “…also shows the importance of local geology on uranium behavior, which can be applied to develop efficient clean-up strategies.” There are many highly contaminated sites around the world which could ultimately benefit from the deployment of techniques based on the findings of this study.
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Geiger Readings for Dec 21, 2017
Ambient office = 59 nanosieverts per hourAmbient outside = 81 nanosieverts per hourSoil exposed to rain water = 84 nanosieverts per hourBeefsteak tomato from Central Market = 96 nanosieverts per hourTap water = 99 nanosieverts per hourFilter water = 93 nanosieverts per hour -
Nuclear Reactors 536 – Kenya Does Not Need Nuclear Power
There are a lot reasons that nuclear power is not a good idea in general. Then there are reasons that are specific to a particular country. In the developing world, there are countries whose need for electricity may not warrant the expense and problems of developing nuclear power plants, but they still want them as some sort of symbol of their dedication to improving their economy and society. One such country is Kenya.
There is a wide-spread belief that Kenya suffers from a short supply of overly expensive electricity. As it turns out, this belief may not be true. Kenyan power is actually reasonably priced. And Kenyan governments have consistently exaggerated the prospects for economic growth and the need for a huge increase in electrical generating capacity.
Kenya has the ability to generate about twenty four hundred megawatts. Its peak demand is about sixteen hundred megawatts. That means that it has an excess capacity equal to fifty percent of its peak demand. Excess capacity can lead to higher prices for electricity if some power plants remain idle because they are not needed.
Recent government estimates of Kenya’s future need for electricity stated that peak demand would rise to over forty-seven hundred megawatts by 2020. A German engineering company also produce a recent estimate to Kenya’s future need for electricity. They say that Kenya’s peak demand will about twenty-three hundred megawatts by 2020. The German estimate is far more reliable and suggests that Kenya could satisfy estimated peak demand in 2020 with the generating capacity that it currently has.
The real problem that Kenya has is not a short supply of electricity but the ability to distribute electricity. The existing Kenyan power grid and distribution system cannot handle any more power that is currently being generated. And, in addition, not enough money is currently being spent on needed maintenance. Without more routine maintenance and improvements in the grid and distribution system, additional power would be wasted.
With respect to demand, about six million customers are currently connected to the grid in Kenya. The customer base has grown by five hundred percent in the past seven years, but the demand has remained low. The reason for this is that most Kenyans still have very low income levels. They just cannot afford to pay for modern appliances for cooking, heating, air conditioning or refrigeration.
Since 2012, the Kenyan government has been working on obtaining nuclear power. They have conferred with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In 2016, the Kenyan Nuclear Electric Board obtained the approval of the IAEA. They have signed memoranda of understanding with Russia, China, South Korea and Slovakia for the construction of four nuclear power plants with a total of four gigawatts of capacity. The estimated cost of these projects is around four billion dollars. (Given that an individual reactor can cost more than six billion dollars, an estimate of five billion dollars for four reactors seems very low.)
The current low consumer demand, slow economic growth, wide-spread poverty and the condition of the grid and distribution system in Kenya indicate that the proposed nuclear reactors would be a huge waste of money for this poor country.
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Geiger Readings for Dec 20, 2017
Ambient office = 135 nanosieverts per hourAmbient outside = 135 nanosieverts per hourSoil exposed to rain water = 136 nanosieverts per hourCaultiflower from Central Market = 75 nanosieverts per hourTap water = 82 nanosieverts per hourFilter water = 65 nanosieverts per hour -
Nuclear Weapons 325 – The Old Mutually Assured Destruction To Prevent Nuclear War Is In Decline
Since the 1950s, arsenals of nuclear warheads have balanced each other in what is called “mutually assured destruction” or MAD. For decades, the possibility that even a small nuclear exchange could severely impact human civilization has “kept the peace.”
There were several times that the world came close to nuclear war, once was a case of a false warning of an incoming missile in the Soviet Union. The radar officer should have notified central command immediately, but he waited for awhile until it was clear that it was a false warning.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, there were two incidents. One happened when a Soviet ship crossed a picket line at sea and the other happened when a Soviet submarine lost contact with surface ships. Both times, the captain decided to disregard protocols for immediate escalation and wait until the situation resolved itself peacefully. Now, however, the MAD stability is being eroded by recent developments.
The delivery systems for many of the current arsenals of nuclear warheads are using old analogue circuits which are now being replaced by new digital circuitry. As these systems become more complex, they become more fragile and prone to errors. With the arrival of the Internet and the interconnectivity of global communication systems, it is critical that cybersecurity be tightened to prevent the hacking of nuclear weapons systems. Such hacking could result in causing launch, preventing launch or diverting launch of nuclear warheads in a conflict.
There have always been tactical nuclear weapons along with the big ICBMs that could level cities. These tactical systems consist of small nuclear rocket launchers, nuclear artillery shells and other small nuclear devices. The military planners developed these weapons for use on battlefields. They are intended to destroy enemy troops and weapons but not to destroy whole cities. They have not been used for fear of triggering a wholesale exchange of ICBMs. However, in the past few years. Their precision has been increased to the point where some military men believe that they could be used surgically and not trigger an all-out war.
One of the pillars of the nuclear protocols in nations with nuclear weapons is not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. Unfortunately, this tradition is slipping. Recently Russia announced that if it was in a conventional war with NATO troops and losing, it would consider the first use of tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. Pakistan is currently deploying tactical nuclear weapons to the border it shares with India. India has threatened to pursue terrorists from Pakistan as they flee back across the border. Pakistan has said that if they do, then Pakistan may use tactical nuclear weapons on its own territory.
Paradoxically, the advances in technology and changes in protocols being applied to nuclear warheads and delivery systems are not making things safer in general but are destabilizing the old MAD model. Fortunately, the number of nuclear warheads worldwide has been reduced from over fifty thousand to under ten thousand through strong non-proliferation treaties. But it has been estimated that even a hundred nuclear detonations in a conflict could end human civilization so there is much work left to be done.
Nuclear weapon test Apache:
