Hurricane Irma poses toughest test for U.S. nuclear industry since Fukushima

Irma poses toughest test for U.S. nuclear industry since Fukushima

I really wish they wouldn't call Irma a 'nuclear hurricane' - for obvious reasons.

(Reuters) - Hurricane Irma will pose the toughest test yet for U.S. nuclear power plants since reactors strengthened their defenses against natural disasters following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in Japan in 2011.

Irma was on course to hit South Florida early on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, packing winds of up to 145 miles (233 kilometers) per hour and bringing a storm surge of as much as 12 feet to a state that is home to four coastal nuclear reactors.

Oh nooo...

The operator, Florida Power & Light (FPL), has said it will shut Turkey Point well before hurricane-strength winds reach the plant. The reactors are about 30 miles (42 kilometers) south of Miami.

FPL said it will also shut the other nuclear plant in Florida at St Lucie, which also has two reactors on a barrier island on the state’s east coast, about 120 miles (193 km) north of Miami.

Is anyone hearing anything on the 'live' news broadcasts about this (probable) problem?

I'm not hearing anything. Just finding info in searches/news.

But South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said he was concerned about the potential for floods to damage power generators at Turkey Point, which in turn might threaten the ability of the plant to keep spent nuclear fuel rods cool.

“The whole site is pretty well able to handle dangerous wind, the real problem from my perspective is water,” Stoddard said. He said he was more worried about the nuclear waste than the reactors.

Going to try to add more info here...

peace

Florida nuclear plants could take a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. Plant owners say they are ready.

Florida’s two nuclear plants are in line for a possible direct hit from Hurricane Irma, but they are braced and ready, the plants’ owners said Friday.

NextEra Energy’s Turkey Point, which stands amid mangroves 25 miles south of Miami, and St. Lucie, located on a barrier island about 125 miles north of Miami, together provide about 13 percent of Florida’s electricity.

Natural gas provides the overwhelming majority of the state’s electricity.

Each site has a pair of reactors.

Turkey Point’s date back to 1972 and 1973; St Lucie’s were commissioned in 1976. Turkey Point survived Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm that in 1992 passed directly over the nuclear plant. Andrew remains the most destructive hurricane to hit the state. Forecasters say Irma will be near South Florida by Sunday morning.

I hope they're as ready as they sound.

2 Florida nuclear plants likely to shut down if Irma continues path

Peter Robbins, spokesman for Florida Power and Light, said shutting down a reactor is a gradual process, and the decision will be made “well in advance” of the Category 5 storm making landfall.

Robbins said the Turkey Point plant’s reactors are encased in six feet of steel-reinforced concrete and sit 20 feet above sea level. Turkey Point has backup generators, extra fuel and, as a “backup to the backup,” replacement parts and materials can be flown in from Tennessee.

The St. Lucie plant is equally protected, Robbins said, and can withstand severe flooding from storm surges. St. Lucie’s nuclear plant survived Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2005 and Wilma the year after.

“For the top of the plant to be underwater ... if there were flooding on the plant, we could absolutely stay safe,” Robbins told TC Palm. “We designed the plant to handle that, the systems at the plant to handle that.”

They sound assured and ready. God help them to know and do their job!

I hope they're learned from experiences here in the USA during past storms and from the disaster in Fukushima.

peace

The first is just mapping it out for you all not familiar with the area.
The second, a short on how the reactors will be shut down.

peace

Within the last thirty minutes, it has been determined that Irma will hit Florida as Catagory 5 hurricane.

Brace yourselves lads and lassies!

I really hesitate to add this video - but - this is a conspiracy site.

Basically he's tell us he believes these geo-engineered (HAARP) storms are to destroy America by causing the hurricanes to rip out and case to fail all the nuclear plants on the East ands Southern coast.

'They' don't care how to get the nuclear exchange and this is a way to do it.

When I heard these storms were called 'Nuclear Storms' - Well, it made me think...
Just tossing it in here.
Don't shoot the messenger on this one.

peace

But South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said he was concerned about the potential for floods to damage power generators at Turkey Point, which in turn might threaten the ability of the plant to keep spent nuclear fuel rods cool.

Cooling water intakes could become clogged with debris from storm surge. They have to be cleaned of debris before reopening them or the pumps will suck dry, causing them to fail. So in the meantime, the Spent Fuel rods stored in their cooling ponds might begin to heat up.

There is no redundancy to the spent fuel cooling apparatus like for the reactors themselves.

Because they never figured they would still be storing the damn waste on site for this long.

Union of Concerned Scientists

originally posted by: intrptr

But South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said he was concerned about the potential for floods to damage power generators at Turkey Point, which in turn might threaten the ability of the plant to keep spent nuclear fuel rods cool.

Cooling water intakes could become clogged with debris from storm surge. They have to be cleaned of debris before reopening them or the pumps will suck dry, causing them to fail. So in the meantime, the Spent Fuel rods stored in their cooling ponds might begin to heat up.

There is no redundancy to the spent fuel cooling apparatus like for the reactors themselves.

Because they never figured they would still be storing the damn waste on site for this long.

Union of Concerned Scientists

Without reading your link, do they by any chance talk about what they initially were going to do with the spent fuel rods as opposed to storing them onsite. After the news in Japan you would think that it might be a fairly good idea to get rid of the waste.

I always like your topics silo13. This guy.... a lot to digest. Could be out there, could also be disseminating valid information...


"They" always a they in the picture. Good luck with that pisano. Think I'll go kill myself........ oh wait, I got to take the trash to the dump tomorrow, and then stop at the market for Beer. I'm not supposed to have alcohol, but hay if I'm getting nuked, what the hay. Probably get some Ute potato chips too.

Carry on... www.youtube.com...

Wait a minute. They built nuclear reactors on a barrier island? Next level stupidity indeed.

Florida plant owners say they are ready? Japan said the same thing.

a reply to: rickymouse
Japan did not have a chance to power down.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: rickymouse
Japan did not have a chance to power down.

From what I read, a Hurricane can take out some nuclear power plants in this country. Even a flood can cause them to have serious problems. I am thinking the ones in Florida should have been built to withstand a Hurricane because they hit there pretty often.

Even a powered down power plant can be still dangerous under the right conditions.

a reply to: rickymouse

Yes.
But the point stands. Japan did not have a chance to power down. The comparison is not really valid.

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

originally posted by: intrptr

But South Miami Mayor Philip Stoddard said he was concerned about the potential for floods to damage power generators at Turkey Point, which in turn might threaten the ability of the plant to keep spent nuclear fuel rods cool.

Cooling water intakes could become clogged with debris from storm surge. They have to be cleaned of debris before reopening them or the pumps will suck dry, causing them to fail. So in the meantime, the Spent Fuel rods stored in their cooling ponds might begin to heat up.

There is no redundancy to the spent fuel cooling apparatus like for the reactors themselves.

Because they never figured they would still be storing the damn waste on site for this long.

Union of Concerned Scientists

Without reading your link, do they by any chance talk about what they initially were going to do with the spent fuel rods as opposed to storing them onsite. After the news in Japan you would think that it might be a fairly good idea to get rid of the waste.

Thats the big dilemma, the spent fuel rods. Initially they were supposed to move them to a central storage facility, or reprocess them for reuse.

Spent fuel rods are the most toxic things on the planet. They were so busy selling the idea of cheap, plentiful, 'clean' electricity they sidelined the issue of waste storage and disposal... for now.

The promise to find adequate storage was never realized. The promise to recycle the rods was deemed too costly. Controversy about how costly and potentially dangerous it was just to move them and store them for such a long time became heated. Many communities resisted having them move thru their towns and cities, many repository sites were found to be geologically unstable, long term.

Processing them into harmless waste is really involved and very expensive, generating even more waste.

Some of the spent fuel material finds its way into military use as Depleted Uranium munitions. Radioactive weapons that leave toxic residues where they are employed in countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.

The nuclear power industry still has no solution for the spent fuel rods, part of the reason why Fukushima became so serious is because all the spent fuel rods that had ever been exposed in the reactors were still being stored on site in the spent fuel pools. This is true of most BWRs around the globe.

Its this glaring legacy, what do we do with them, don't worry, we'll figure something out policy, ignored by the original designers, handed down to us thru the generations.

Once in a while the issue glaringly raises its head, again. People go huh, wats up with that? Why are they storing fuel rods forever on site? Why cant they (like you said) "get rid of them"?

Lots of BS out there too. Shoot them to the sun, bury them, reuse them, render them harmless, etc.

If any of these were viable they would be doing that already.

a reply to: intrptr


Thx for the reply and yeah that kinda what figured.

Its this glaring legacy, what do we do with them, don't worry, we'll figure something out policy, ignored by the original designers, handed down to us thru the generations.

That is where we are at I guess, its like a game of "which generation is lucky enough to clean up the mess"

Whats the bet this is how we stupid humans have wiped ourselves back to the stone age each and every time.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

That is where we are at I guess, its like a game of "which generation is lucky enough to clean up the mess"

Silly question.
The next one, of course.

So is it written, so it will be.

a reply to: Phage


I see, so should we just name them generation fail ?

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

Each and everyone.
I suppose.

And yet here we are.

As someone once said, "No matter where you go, there you are."

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

That is where we are at I guess, its like a game of "which generation is lucky enough to clean up the mess"

Once released into the environment, it cannot be 'cleaned up'. The only thing that reduces radiation from waste or 'accidents' is decay over time.

The nuclear industry, mining, reactors and weapons is too big to fail, lol.

a reply to: intrptr

Actually, it can be cleaned up (with enough money). And put someplace else.