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.
I have often blogged about problems at nuclear power reactors. I have seldom blogged about problems with the nuclear engines that power submarines and ships. The nuclear engines are very well built and usually function reliably and safely. However, occasionally even these nuclear reactors have problems.
The British navy currently has seven nuclear hunter-killer submarines. There are four of the older Trafalgar class and three of the newer Astute class. There are four more Astute class hunter-killer submarines under construction. These classes of submarines are nuclear powered but they do not carry nuclear missiles. There are four Vanguard class nuclear submarines that carry British nuclear missiles. The hunter-killer class of submarines is intended to defend the British Isles from incursions by enemy submarine and to protect the Vanguard missile submarine.
There are only four Astute class submarines, two of which are being tested and the third is in dock to be repaired about a collision. Due to delays in getting the Astute class submarines constructed and deployed, the life span of the Trafalgar class submarines was extended by ten years.
Recently, the Trenchant, a Trafalgar class submarine, was found to have a crack in one of the pipes around the nuclear reactor. The crack is a fracture on a weld that connects a coolant pipe to the reactor. The fracture is about four inches long. It is classified as a “critical” fault but if it gets any bigger, it would be classified as a “catastrophic” fault. The weld is inside a water tank and is extremely difficult for technicians to access. The tank containing the weld has become progressively more radioactive as time has passed. The fracture may be impossible to repair which would force the navy to retire the submarine.
The fracture was classified as a “generic fault” meaning that other submarines in the Trafalgar class are also at risk for developing the same problem. The three other Trafalgar submarines are the same age as the Trenchant and it is possible that they will also have the same fracture. As a result, all four of the Trafalgar class submarines have been docked. They will remain in dock until they are thoroughly checked for the generic fault cracks in welds.
The hunter-killer submarines are intended to be able to maneuver quickly during combat. If there are flaws that are vulnerable to rapid changes in temperature and pressure such as cracks in pipe welds in a particular submarine, then that submarine would be a lame duck, afraid to move the way it is supposed to in a battle.
It is quite possible that all four of the Trafalgar class submarines will have to be withdrawn from service because they cannot be repaired. The nuclear reactors that power the submarines are designed to never need service during their operational life span. If they break, they cannot be repaired.
With four Trafalgar submarines docked for inspection, two Astute submarines undergoing sea trials and the third Astute submarine being repaired, Britain’s entire hunter-killer fleet is unavailable for deployment. may have to ask the U.S. for help to maintain their submarine defense capability.
HMS Trenchant:
Idaho National Laboratory’s nuclear energy innovation program has announced a second round of funding for small businesses interested in developing next-generation nuclear technologies. postregister.com
The Ministry of Electricity is preparing to hold a public rally to announce the details of the establishment of Dabaa nuclear power plant in cooperation with Russia. dailynewsegypt.com
Nuclear quotes. hyperallergic.com
RenewableUK chief says windfarms could offer cheaper prices than rates government agreed with new nuclear power stations. theguardian.com
Britain could need up to 20 more nuclear power stations should the electric car replace the petrol engine. dailymail.co.uk
After listening to experts describe the threat posed by North Korea and its nuclear arsenal, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, paused amid a Capitol Hill hearing earlier this week and made a suggestion. “We ought to have civil defense in this country,” said Sherman during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. mcclatchydc.com
I blogged recently about China’s nuclear policy. China has a stated policy that they will never be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict. China decided that a few hundred nuclear warheads were sufficient to act as a deterrent to any hostile nation that might consider staging a nuclear attack against China. Not building and maintaining a huge nuclear arsenal like those of the U.S. and Russia has allowed China to spend its defense funds on building other types of weapons systems. However, discussions in the U.S. about expansion of its nuclear arsenal are prompting some in China to call for a reconsideration of nuclear policy.
In the past decade, the U.S. Department of Defense has recommended that the U.S. develop new tactical nuclear weapons with low yields which could be used on smaller battlefields than current nuclear weapons. Tong Zhao, an associate in the Carnegie Endowment’s Nuclear Policy Program based in Beijing, recently said in an interview “that this more flexible form of weapon could lower the threshold of nuclear use.” Zhao suggested that this move by the U.S. could convince China that the U.S. might contemplate the first use of these new tactical nuclear weapons in a conflict. This possibility may prompt the Chinese to develop their own tactical nuclear weapons and reconsider their prohibition of first-use of nuclear weapons.
The Obama Administration was considering the development and deployment of a massive global network with layers of missile defenses to protect not just the U.S. homeland and U.S. allies, but also U.S. base and troops anywhere in the world. On January 27th, the new U.S. President, Donald Trump, issued an Executive Order to the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, to review U.S. nuclear capability. It has been reported that the new administration is interested in pursuing the previous administration’s global missile network plan.
If the U.S. does actually deploy such a massive global network of missile systems, China may decide that its current nuclear arsenal is not sufficient to prevent annihilation and increase its stock of nuclear warheads. In addition, China may decide that in order for it to retaliate successfully against a nuclear attack, it may have to abandon its policy of not launching a retaliation until enemy missiles actually land on Chinese soil. The new policy would be to launch Chinese missiles on warning that enemy missiles were coming. This increases the danger of mistakes and accidents. The world has already come close to nuclear war because warning systems issued false alerts of an attack.
Zhao said in the interview that he had seen no sign of top Chinese officials discussing or considering such changes to Chinese nuclear policy. However, Zhao did say that low-level analysts, military scholars and media commentators are increasingly suggesting that China needs to enlarge its nuclear arsenal and reconsider its nuclear policy.
Recent developments in the South China Sea have led to China consider the deployment of nuclear-tipped cruise missiles on Chinese nuclear submarines carrying out regular patrols in the South China Sea. This would move nuclear weapons out of the tight control of Beijing and into the hands of individual submarine captains. With belligerent statements from the incoming Trump Administration about blocking Chinese access to their artificial islands in the South China Sea, China’s nuclear policy may be changing soon.
Peoples Liberation Army Rocket Forces Insignia:
Spain’s nuclear safety regulator has given conditional approval for the restart and continued operation of the Garoña nuclear power plant, which has been offline for the past four years. Operator Nuclenor would be required to make a number of safety upgrades. world-nuclear-news.org
The nuclear industry’s top lobbyist told Wall Street analysts Thursday that the industry has reached a “tipping point” in gaining Washington’s attention to keep nuclear power plants from closing. washingtonexaminer.com
