Nuclear reactor 'flawed from the start'

pokkets

5-5-2008 7:50 AM

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/33192810-8fce-4252-8ee1-bec377668f8b/B413EFA1-6E64-4F1F-9F34-399CD1CE81AB/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest" href="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest" style="font-size: 11px;">www.abc.net.au</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest">Dani Cooper</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P class="first"><SPAN class="slug">News analysis</SPAN> A flaw in the original design of Australia's only nuclear reactor is partly responsible for the shutdown of the facility in July last year, just months after it was officially opened.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><div align="center"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/www.abc.net.au/img/4D7A61A8-84E9-4992-A406-BA5D128DD897" alt="OPAL reactor" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>Dr Greg Storr, who heads reactor operations for the <A target="_blank" href="http://www.ansto.gov.au/">Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation</A> (ANSTO), says an "oversight" at the commissioning stage of the A$400 million (US$376 million) Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor left it vulnerable.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest">ANSTO staff begin reloading fuel into the reactor, based at Lucas Heights south of Sydney, following approval today from the <A target="_blank" href=" http://www.arpansa.gov.au/ ">Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency</A> (ARPANSA) to restart the reactor</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest">Storr says he expects the reactor to be operating at full power by the end of the month</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/05/05/2235442.htm?site=science&topic=latest"><P>But the OPAL reactor was shut down three months after it opened when staff discovered during routine maintenance that some fuel plates had become dislodged and were projecting above, but still attached to the fuel assembly.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/B413EFA1-6E64-4F1F-9F34-399CD1CE81AB/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

pokkets says:

What is described as an 'oversight' is a flaw in a newly commissioned reactor built 40km from Sydney, Australia's largest city.

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