/Nexus - 0108 - New Times Magazine/pages/0021/image.png)
Page Content (OCR)
RAIDIWVA, ATT TZ EO RADIOACTIVE NUKES NEW ROUNDUP N W N S es E U KE ROUNDUP Anew type of smal] nuclearreactor By using helium totransferheatfromthe | ‘ West Germany's government has been has been designed and built. Called amodu- reactor to electricity generating turbines the accused of a cover-up after a US magazine lar,high temperature, gas-cooledreactor,it’s | gas-cooled reactor operates at up to 50% | published details of a 1987 incident at the claimed to be almost immune to melt-down efficiency, compared to 33% for water- Biblis nuclear power plant near Frankfurt. A - the most feared reactor accident. Instead of cooled reactors. valve in the cooling system was left open by relying on complicated machinery and hu- For safety the new reactors are limited to a ‘technical defect’ that the workers ‘appar- man oversight the reactor relies on the laws 140 megawatts, with 3 or 4 reactor modules ently didn’t take seriously’ - the next shift of nature to shut the reaction down if it gets strung together to make a power plant. This, | found out what was happening. Radioactive out of control. and their lower sensitivity to fuel tempera- steam was released when a valve opened to Most nuclear plants now operating are ture changes, means that the new reactor is take the pressure off the malfunctioning one. watcr-cooled, using long rods of uranium not the disaster waiting to happen that the The report on the incident was never oxide 12cm thick which reach 2,260° Celsius conventional reactors are. Nevertheless they made public. In his statement the minister in the reactor core. If the water stops for just produce all the other unwanted side effects of responsible forthe environment and safety of seconds the rods destroy their metal casing nuclear power generation - uranium mining, nuelear reactors said that there had never and start to fuse. The new design uses ura- radioactive accidents, wastedisposal etc. been a nuclear crisis in West Germany - but nium formed into pellets with a diameter of The main opposition to the new reactors there are on average 12 ‘urgent’ incidents 1mm coated in a temperature-resistant ce- may not come from anti-nuclear groups but and 400 ‘normal’ ones each year. ramic. Because the top temperature reached from the nuclear power industry. Their huge AP. is 1,648° the fuel grains can’t melt through investmentin water-cooled reactors could be their protective coating, making the reactor atrisk if their was amove to something safer. »@ After a French nuclear test in the South safer from failure of the rods that control the Two prototypes are already operating, a 40 Pacific in November, said to be 54 kiloton- reactor, pumps and cooling systems (al- megawatt plantin WestGermany that’s runn | nes, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the though the cladding can still melt, conceiva- faultless for years and a 300 megawatt plant Richter scale shook northeastern America bly causing a meltdown). in the USA that’s been nothing but trouble. and eastern Canada. New York Times, New Scientist Canadian geographer Bruce Stirling has claimed that there is an earthquake in another AMERIC A’ S ab hae MESS part of the world between one and three days after every nuclear test. Late last year the French detonated a 100 kilotonne blast, one of the biggest on record. Instead of using Mururoa Atoll a new site was used, Australian Financial Review The US Department of Energy has revealed, under pressure, 155 instances of environmental contamination at its 16 weap- ons plants. These plants are excluded from the heavy regulations that govern the opera- tion of nuclear electricity generators, and their pollution record is much worse. The Department estimates that removing envi- ronmental risks at its plants might cost over US$120 billion and take 20 years. In the ? worst case the water supply of Denver was plans fora takeover of civilian nuclear plants A Swedish space research company re- leased satellite images of the site of a Soviet nuclear accident, thought to have happened in 1957 but never officially acknowledged by Moscow. The computer-enhanced im- ages show an abandoned military nuclear - seo ¢ . complex east of the Ural Mountains, sur- threatened by radioactive contamination. to provide material for nuclear weapons if =a ill 4 ; rounded by a devastated area of 250 square This widespread pollutionis oneresultof national security were threatened. If these é i aa "i a) kilometres. A nearby river has been blocked, the actual neglect of America’s nuclear arms plans are actually carried out - to obtain trit- . : aes presumably to prevent the escape of radioac- programme under Reagan. Another result ium for example - the distinction between siyacce has been the Aalt in production of tritium, a military and peaceful use of atomic energy - . —_—— ae ny, i i There are tracks in the area indicative of radioactive gas that’ s vital in nuclear weap- that is the spirit of the 1968 Nuclear Non- pret as Guicetkie tie Sow ons. Because it decays rapidly, with a half- Proliferation Treaty would be wiped out. Pp pee 8 army has used the area for training purposes. It's quite probable that the world’s largest and most devastating nuclear accident hap- pened in total secrecy. The Swedish re- searchers were the first to provide details and pictures of the 1986 Chernoby] disaster, us- ing the commercial SPOT satellite system. life of 3 years, it has to be replaced - in all the Also, converting civilian plants to produce warheads. The Savannah River plants that tritium is currently illegal in the US. are the US source of tritium have been shut The same executive order overrode local down since last April after cracks were found opposition to nuclear power stations in New in the cooling system. Even if repaired the Hampshire and New York. The Shoreham plants are reaching the end of their 40 year and Seabrook plants have been completed service life. but the refusal of local government to draw WoatesttAmericats (i ariuolearmadstinagire Inan executive order issued after the last upevacuation plans has prevented them from what it must be like in Russia, where the govern- election, Reagan ordered the Nuclear Regu- starting up. Now a Federal agency can organ- ment has, until now, been immune from public latory Commission to prepare emergency ise the plans, breaking local opposition. pressure that’s been so important in the West. New York Times: NEXUS New Times Eight - Autumn 1989 Anew type of smal] nuclearreactor Byusing helium totransferheatfromthe | * West Germany’s government has been has been designed and built. Called amodu- reactor to electricity generating turbines the accused of a cover-up after a US magazine lar, high temperature, gas-cooledreactor, it’s | gas-cooled reactor operates at up to 50% | published details of a 1987 incident at the claimed to be almost immune to melt-down efficiency, compared to 33% for water- Biblis nuclear power plant near Frankfurt. A - the most feared reactor accident. Instead of cooled reactors. valve in the cooling system was left open by relying on complicated machinery and hu- For safety the new reactors are limited to a ‘technical defect’ that the workers ‘appar- man oversight the reactor relies on the laws 140 megawatts, with 3 or 4 reactor modules ently didn’t take seriously’ - the next shift of nature to shut the reaction down if it gets strung together to make a power plant. This, | found out what was happening. Radioactive out of control. and their lower sensitivity to fuel tempera- steam was released when a valve opened to Most nuclear plants now operating are ture changes, means that the new reactor is take the pressure off the malfunctioning one. watcr-cooled, using long rods of uranium not the disaster waiting to happen that the The report on the incident was never oxide 12cm thick which reach 2,260? Celsius conventional reactors are. Nevertheless they made public. In his statement the minister in the reactor core. If the water stops for just produce all the other unwanted side effects of responsible forthe environment and safety of seconds the rods destroy their metal casing nuclear power generation - uranium mining, nuelear reactors said that there had never and start to fuse. The new design uses ura- radioactive accidents, wastedisposal etc. been a nuclear crisis in West Germany - but nium formed into pellets with a diameter of The main opposition to the new reactors there are on average 12 ‘urgent’ incidents 1mm coated in a temperature-resistant ce- may not come from anti-nuclear groups but and 400 ‘normal’ ones each year. tamic. Because the top temperature reached from the nuclear power industry. Their huge AP. is 1,648° the fuel grains can’t melt through investmentin water-cooled reactors could be their protective coating, making the reactor atrisk if their was amove to something safer. »@ After a French nuclear test in the South safer from failure of the rods that control the Two prototypes are already operating, a 40 Pacific in November, said to be 54 kiloton- reactor, pumps and cooling systems (al- megawatt plantin WestGermany that’s runn | nes, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the though the cladding can still melt, conceiva- faultless for years and a 300 megawatt plant Richter scale shook northeastern America bly causing a meltdown). in the USA that’s been nothing but trouble. and eastern Canada. New York Times, New Scientist Canadian geographer Bruce Stirling has claimed that there is an earthquake in another AMERIC A’ S ab hae MESS part of the world between one and three days after every nuclear test. Late last year the French detonated a 100 kilotonne blast, one of the biggest on record. Instead of using Mururoa Atoll a new site was used, Australian Financial Review The US Department of Energy has revealed, under pressure, 155 instances of environmental contamination at its 16 weap- ons plants. These plants are excluded from the heavy regulations that govern the opera- tion of nuclear electricity generators, and their pollution record is much worse. The Department estimates that removing envi- ronmental risks at its plants might cost over US$120 billion and take 20 years. In the ? worst case the water supply of Denver was plans fora takeover of civilian nuclear plants A Swedish space research company re- leased satellite images of the site of a Soviet nuclear accident, thought to have happened in 1957 but never officially acknowledged by Moscow. The computer-enhanced im- ages show an abandoned military nuclear - seo ¢ . complex east of the Ural Mountains, sur- threatened by radioactive contamination. to provide material for nuclear weapons if =a ill 4 ; rounded by a devastated area of 250 square This widespread pollutionis oneresultof national security were threatened. If these é i aa "i a) kilometres. A nearby river has been blocked, the actual neglect of America’s nuclear arms plans are actually carried out - to obtain trit- . : aes presumably to prevent the escape of radioac- programme under Reagan. Another result ium for example - the distinction between siyacce has been the Aalt in production of tritium, a military and peaceful use of atomic energy - . —_—— ae ny, i i There are tracks in the area indicative of radioactive gas that’ s vital in nuclear weap- that is the spirit of the 1968 Nuclear Non- pret as Guicetkie tie Sow ons. Because it decays rapidly, with a half- Proliferation Treaty would be wiped out. Pp pee 8 army has used the area for training purposes. It's quite probable that the world’s largest and most devastating nuclear accident hap- pened in total secrecy. The Swedish re- searchers were the first to provide details and pictures of the 1986 Chernoby] disaster, us- ing the commercial SPOT satellite system. life of 3 years, it has to be replaced - in all the Also, converting civilian plants to produce warheads. The Savannah River plants that tritium is currently illegal in the US. are the US source of tritium have been shut The same executive order overrode local down since last April after cracks were found opposition to nuclear power stations in New in the cooling system. Even if repaired the Hampshire and New York. The Shoreham plants are reaching the end of their 40 year and Seabrook plants have been completed service life. ; ; but the refusal of local government to draw WoatesttAmericats (i ariuolearmadstinagire Inan executive order issued after the last upevacuation plans has prevented them from what it must be like in Russia, where the govern- election, Reagan ordered the Nuclear Regu- starting up. Now a Federal agency can organ- ment has, until now, been immune from public latory Commission to prepare emergency ise the plans, breaking local opposition. pressure that’s been so important in the West. New York Times: