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Nuclear SNAFU in Canada
Jun. 6th, 2008 09:28 amIt's truly amazing that they can screw up the new stuff so much.
Nuclear Sector an Explosive Mess - Calgary Herald - 06 Jun 08
"You know there's trouble afoot when a world leader in nuclear technology declares that its two new state-of-the-art reactors are obsolete duds, before the reactors are even completed. That's the embarrassing situation Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) faces.
The reactors (Maple-1 and Maple-2) were expected to replace the NRU reactor at Chalk River by 2000."
"But the best-laid plans of nuclear physicists and government bureaucrats don't always go as intended, especially when they involve taxpayer dollars. By 2008, Maples 1 and 2 were eight years overdue, anywhere from $150 million to $500 million over budget and sucking up a reported $10 million more each month. Despite 12 years and a windfall of government money, isotopes were never produced and technical flaws were never resolved. On May 16, AECL mercifully pulled the plug.
( More fun references behind cut . . . )
Chalk River Replacement Reactors May Never Work - CTV.ca - 31 Jan 08
"'There seems to be a fundamental design problem with the MAPLEs. A project cannot last that long -- cannot last eight years -- unless there is a fundamental problem,' the insider told CTV News. One key problem is that when engineers run computer simulations, safety issues arise. 'You shut the reactor down, but the temperature in the core continues to increase,' said the insider."
Nuclear Sector an Explosive Mess - Calgary Herald - 06 Jun 08
"You know there's trouble afoot when a world leader in nuclear technology declares that its two new state-of-the-art reactors are obsolete duds, before the reactors are even completed. That's the embarrassing situation Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) faces.
The reactors (Maple-1 and Maple-2) were expected to replace the NRU reactor at Chalk River by 2000."
"But the best-laid plans of nuclear physicists and government bureaucrats don't always go as intended, especially when they involve taxpayer dollars. By 2008, Maples 1 and 2 were eight years overdue, anywhere from $150 million to $500 million over budget and sucking up a reported $10 million more each month. Despite 12 years and a windfall of government money, isotopes were never produced and technical flaws were never resolved. On May 16, AECL mercifully pulled the plug.
( More fun references behind cut . . . )
Chalk River Replacement Reactors May Never Work - CTV.ca - 31 Jan 08
"'There seems to be a fundamental design problem with the MAPLEs. A project cannot last that long -- cannot last eight years -- unless there is a fundamental problem,' the insider told CTV News. One key problem is that when engineers run computer simulations, safety issues arise. 'You shut the reactor down, but the temperature in the core continues to increase,' said the insider."
