Nuclear reactor pressure vessel reassembled improperly - blows coolant on startup

[kristopher]

Inspectors to visit nuclear plant Monday
By Jim Brumm

The reactor coolant leak that resulted in the shutdown of Brunswick Nuclear Plant's Unit II on Wednesday was due to improper reassembly of the reactor pressure vessel, Progress Energy told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission late Thursday.

In a report posted on the NRC website early Friday, the utility said this resulted in a condition that "significantly" degraded plant safety...

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20111118/ARTICLES/111119601/-1/sports03?Title=Inspectors-to-visit-nuclear-plant-Monday


Related information:
Reactor Type: Boiling Water Reactor
Electrical Output: 937 MWe
Reactor Vendor/Type: General Electric Type 4
Containment Type: Wet, Mark I
http://www.nrc.gov/info-finder/reactor/bru2.html

In other words, the same type as Fukushima.

Also, even though the plant's operating license wasn't due to expire until 2014, relicensing for an additional 20 years was pushed through in 2006.

[Yo_Mama]

1. Areva?

Thanks for the thread, Kristopher. I was reading through the article sort of muttering to myself - that has to be close to the shortest clearance from monitoring in US history - and at the end of the article they said that Areva actually does the maintenance on the plants for Progress.

If so, it's a concern. Areva is the big French power co - it does more than just nuclear. Maybe it is just the NA division which is this sloppy, but one has to wonder what in the heck is going on.

[kristopher]

4. Given the other thread right now on the reliability of nuclear plants...

I was focused a bit more on the actual history of emergency shutdowns, " a 12-month period in 2009 and 2010 when the plant experienced four unplanned shutdowns, two electrical fires and a power failure".

That seems to have been just the prelude. The system is apparently going to continue to be fully profit driven until we have our own Fukushima. Let's just hope when it does we are as lucky as Japan was with the winds blowing out to sea instead of towards major population centers.

[madrchsod]

2. oops..someone forgot to double-triple check the bolts.

someone is going to get a write up!

[Yo_Mama]

3. They were just cleared from NRC monitoring

They're going to be back on!

That's kind of basic.

[kristopher]

5. Now we hear that there are more cracks in Florida's Crystal River Nuclear Plant

New crack at Crystal River nuclear plant casts doubt on repair plan
Sunday, November 20, 2011

On Aug. 8, Progress gave an update on the situation at Crystal River to Florida's Public Service Commission, which is reviewing how much, if any, of the charges related to the repair can be passed on to customers.
Progress made no mention of a possible third crack.
Yet, on the same day, Progress filed its annual report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In that report, the utility said "additional cracking or delaminations may have occurred or could occur during the repair process."
Staff of the Public Service Commission did not hear about the third crack until Oct. 18, when a Progress engineer, John Holliday, made passing reference to it in a deposition. He was asked about his role in the Crystal River repair after the first crack shut down the plant in 2009...
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/article1202505.ece

See also:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/half-inch-crack-found-inside-containment-wall-while-crystal-river-nuclear/1052137
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/article1200172.ece
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/article1177763.ece
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/nuclear-nightmare-on-the-customers-dime/1201009
http://www.tampabay.com/news/article1200304.ece

Talk about crumbling infrastructure...

[kristopher]

6. This clusterfrak made me think of the title to this article...

"Let’s Get Homer Simpson’s Hands Off the Controls"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x317652#317652

Once the "Ooops" turns into a disaster it is too late. And once it does, you are certain to hear the same song, "oh, we have fixed this problem. It won't happen again." Which, of course, is like saying you've made everyone a good driver by designing antilock brakes.