Of Hot Rods and Tin Cans - Updated
Spent Fuel Factoids to Ponder
Compiled byJames Heddle, Mary Beth Brangan - EON. Crossposted on NoNukesCA
Stranded Spent Nuclear Fuel with Nowhere to Go - A Clear and Present Threat to National Security
A string of pellets cased in the zirconium cladding is called a fuel rod. Source
It is usually 4-5 meters long. Each rod contains 350-400 pellets. Source
A human being standing close to an unshielded hot fuel rod would receive a lethal dose of radiation in just minutes. Source
Ten years after removal of spent fuel from a reactor, the radiation dose 1 meter away from a typical spent fuel assembly exceeds 20,000 rems per hour. A dose of 5,000 rems would be expected to cause immediate incapacitation and death within one week. Source
Each fuel assembly contains 179-264 rods. Source
Holtec canisters each contain 37 fuel assemblies.
Each canister contains more highly radioactive Cesium-137 than was released from Chernobyl. Source
Even a microscopic through-wall crack will release millions of curies of radiation into the environment states Dr. Kris Singh, President and CEO of Holtec. Source
The San Onofre ISFSI houses 73 vertical Holtec canisters. Source
Another 51 Areva NUHOMS canisters sit in a separate, horizontal dry storage facility nearby on-site, with 13 more in the process of being added. Sourc
These containers do not meet the Nuclear Waste Policy Act or NRC safety requirements for monitored, retrievable fuel storage or transport.
In any case, a U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board report suggests that this spent fuel may not be cool enough to meet transportation rules to move until the year 2100. [See pgs. 76 & 77]
These canisters are licensed for 20 years, but have no manufacturer’s warranty.
Some containers made of similar materials have been shown to fail in less than 20 years. Source
Some of the horizontal canisters at San Onofre are already 20 years old. Source
No Federal central repository for high level radioactive waste now exists, nor is likely to be approved and constructed any time soon.
About 88,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel from commercial reactors remain stranded at reactor sites, and this number is increasing by some 2,000 metric tons each year. These 77 sites are in 35 states and threaten to become de facto permanent disposal facilities. A proposed new generation of SMRs will produce even more, more toxic forms of waste. Source
Any Questions?
Mary Beth Brangan and James Heddle Co-Direct EON, the Ecological Options Network.. The EON feature documentary S.O.S. - The San Onofre Syndrome - Nuclear Power’s Legacy will be released later this year.
It's concerning to see how much nuclear waste is accumulating without a long-term solution in place. The fact that these sites are effectively becoming permanent disposal facilities is alarming, especially considering the environmental and safety risks involved. https://hillclimb-racing.com
Time and tides do not wait for man's grand designs.
Money makes men feel impervious to natural forces.
Hell is overcrowded by such foolish men, and Hell doesn't need permits to open a new location.
"Hell #2" is "good-to-go" at San-O.