The NRC’s preliminary event report says plant operators estimated the steam leak at 82 gallons per day. That may sound like a lot but regulators consider it small compared to ruptures in steam tubes at other plants between 1975 and 2000 that vented as much as 630 gallons of radioactive steam per minute.
via OC Watchdog
I daresay that comparing leaks to other disastrous ones is not accurate. The NRC should be telling us how damaging the leak is.
Unfortunately, they resort to words like “minor” and “small” instead of saying something like, “it is in the upper atmosphere and shouldn’t be blowing into your home, if it is here are the signs to look out for…”
The nuclear industry has a very bad history when it comes to leaks, often lying and denying problems until they get worse. In fact, more than 75% of the 104 nuclear plants in the United States have leaked, prompting some to claim the NRC is stuck in regulatory capture. Which means that the regulators protect the companies and not the citizens.
With that in mind, we have to read between the lines to understand what is really happening.
At the plant, Unit 2 was already shut down as it is being upgraded. During inspection nearly one thousand tubes were found to be faulty and worn away.
According to the commission, more than a third of the wall had been worn away in two tubes, which will require them to be plugged and taken out of service. At least 20 percent of the tube wall was worn away in 69 other tubes, and in more than 800, the thinning was at least 10 percent.
Then, in a possibly separate issue, Unit 3 reported an alarm because radioactive steam was being released into the atmosphere. That unit was promptly shut down within 2.5 hours.
An investigation is ongoing and the results will reported next week, according to the Science Report from Pat Brennan.
If these issues are serious than many millions of Southern Californians are in danger. The blast radius for the Fukushima meltdown was 50 miles, which puts San Diego and Los Angeles counties on the alert. Both are within that range.
A few state activists are keeping an eye on the situation, reports the LA Times. Which is good because there was another leak this past November, 2011, where non-radioactive ammonia was released into the atmosphere.
An ammonia leak prompted officials to declare a Level-Two emergency at the San Onofre nuclear power plant and evacuate some workers, officials said.
The leak posed no danger to the public, and no radiation was released during the emergency, said Lauren Bartlett, a spokeswoman for Southern California Edison.
via LA Times
And, sadly, we must also keep an eye on our newspapers. When they report a leak, evacuation, a level-two emergency, and then tell us everything is fine, we must be wary.
// Update: Feb 12, 2012, As Senator Boxer and City Council get involved, no word on source of radioactive steam leaking from San Onofre
Holgura mecanica
Aparatos de calibración: importante para el desempeño estable y productivo de las equipos.
En el campo de la innovación actual, donde la eficiencia y la confiabilidad del aparato son de alta trascendencia, los dispositivos de calibración desempeñan un tarea vital. Estos dispositivos dedicados están concebidos para ajustar y fijar partes dinámicas, ya sea en herramientas productiva, transportes de traslado o incluso en dispositivos caseros.
Para los profesionales en mantenimiento de aparatos y los profesionales, trabajar con sistemas de calibración es importante para asegurar el rendimiento fluido y estable de cualquier aparato dinámico. Gracias a estas alternativas tecnológicas sofisticadas, es posible disminuir significativamente las sacudidas, el ruido y la tensión sobre los rodamientos, prolongando la vida útil de piezas valiosos.
Igualmente relevante es el función que cumplen los sistemas de calibración en la asistencia al usuario. El apoyo técnico y el soporte continuo utilizando estos dispositivos facilitan ofrecer asistencias de alta estándar, incrementando la contento de los clientes.
Para los responsables de empresas, la aporte en sistemas de calibración y detectores puede ser importante para incrementar la productividad y productividad de sus aparatos. Esto es particularmente relevante para los dueños de negocios que manejan medianas y intermedias negocios, donde cada aspecto importa.
Además, los sistemas de ajuste tienen una extensa uso en el sector de la prevención y el gestión de excelencia. Facilitan detectar eventuales fallos, evitando arreglos costosas y problemas a los sistemas. Además, los datos extraídos de estos dispositivos pueden aplicarse para maximizar métodos y aumentar la presencia en motores de consulta.
Las áreas de uso de los dispositivos de ajuste comprenden diversas áreas, desde la fabricación de vehículos de dos ruedas hasta el seguimiento ecológico. No influye si se considera de grandes elaboraciones de fábrica o modestos establecimientos de uso personal, los dispositivos de balanceo son esenciales para proteger un desempeño eficiente y libre de paradas.