Explosion hits Doel Nuclear Power Station, Belgium

[Brighten04]

Explosion hits Doel Nuclear Power Station, Belgium

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2015/11/01/explosion-hits-doel-nuclear-power-station-belgium/

 

[Ruth]

So far it doesn't seem as if there is anything to worry about there.

 

[Lamb]

Am I correct that no one died? I looked it up just now to see if there were recent updates but there wasn't much in the news about it except that it was caused by an electrical transformer and the plant had and expired license so it had been shut down.

 

[Brighten04]

Yeah that is what the article. You would think that it wouldn't explode since it had been shut down. I posted it because the media never reveal everything. Can you really ever shut down a nuclear facility? I know it is not stll producing energy and all. Maybe Mark will comment with his knowledge of science.

 

[MarkFL]

Yeah that is what the article. You would think that it wouldn't explode since it had been shut down. I posted it because the media never reveal everything. Can you really ever shut down a nuclear facility? I know it is not stll producing energy and all. Maybe Mark will comment with his knowledge of science.

I have only a cursory understanding of fission reactors. A reactor can be shut down as long as the control rods (or other inhibitors) are functioning, and critical mass isn't reached.

When a large fissile atomic nucleus such as uranium-235 or plutonium-239 absorbs a neutron, it may undergo nuclear fission. The heavy nucleus splits into two or more lighter nuclei, (the fission products), releasing kinetic energy, gamma radiation, and free neutrons. A portion of these neutrons may later be absorbed by other fissile atoms and trigger further fission events, which release more neutrons, and so on. This is known as a nuclear chain reaction.

To control such a nuclear chain reaction, neutron poisons and neutron moderators can change the portion of neutrons that will go on to cause more fission. Nuclear reactors generally have automatic and manual systems to shut the fission reaction down if monitoring detects unsafe conditions.

Commonly-used moderators include regular (light) water (in 74.8% of the world's reactors), solid graphite (20% of reactors) and heavy water (5% of reactors). Some experimental types of reactor have used beryllium, and hydrocarbons have been suggested as another possibility.

 

[Brighten04]

Thanks Mark, but that went right over my head.

 

[MarkFL]

Thanks Mark, but that went right over my head.

Once the fission process is initiated it begins a chain reaction, that is the energy released by the initial reactions can go on to trigger further reactions and the process would soon cause a meltdown (or explosion in the case of fission bombs like A-bombs), but when the process is controlled, then it proceeds at a desired rate (and produces heat that can produce steam to turn turbines and generate electrical power via electromagnetic induction), and can be shut down at any time by inhibiting it completely.

 

[Brighten04]

Once the fission process is initiated it begins a chain reaction, that is the energy released by the initial reactions can go on to trigger further reactions and the process would soon cause a meltdown (or explosion in the case of fission bombs like A-bombs), but when the process is controlled, then it proceeds at a desired rate (and produces heat that can produce steam to turn turbines and generate electrical power via electromagnetic induction), and can be shut down at any time by inhibiting it completely.

Thanks that is better. Hmm. But can a nuclear power plant, even shut down, ever be safe?

 

[MarkFL]

Thanks that is better. Hmm. But can a nuclear power plant, even shut down, ever be safe?

Yes, if the reaction chamber is monitored properly it can be shut down at any time. And while safety measures have improved over the years, it isn't foolproof.