Plastic bags, tape, broomsticks fix San Onofre leak

[bananas]

Source: KGTV 10 News

An inside source gave Team 10 a picture snapped inside the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) showing plastic bags, masking tape and broom sticks used to stem a massive leaky pipe.

San Onofre owner Southern California Edison (SCE), confirms the picture was taken inside Unit Three, but did not say when. The anonymous source said the picture was taken in December 2012.

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More than one anonymous source talked about the picture with Team 10. They said the public has a right to know about the plant's condition, as the NRC decides whether the plant will be allowed to restart.

<snip>

Records obtained by Team 10 show SONGS staff were concerned about "hundreds of corrosion notifications" and "degraded equipment" throughout the plant. Staff sent a letter to management saying SONGS "clearly has a serious corrosion problem" in pipes throughout the plant.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.10news.com/news/investigations/photograph-picture-given-to-team-10-shows-plastic-bags-tape-broomsticks-used-to-fix-leak-at-san-onofre-043013

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Via http://enenews.com/photo-masking-tape-plastic-bags-broomsticks-used-to-fix-leak-at-troubled-u-s-nuclear-plant-it-clearly-has-a-serious-corrosion-problem

[darkangel218]

1. Yup, not surprised ar all.

[LiberalEsto]

2. what incompetents

You would think they'd have the common sense to use Duck Tape!

[Sirveri]

20. It's different, EB Red typically. We used to put that shit on everything.

[KansDem]

3. I remember about 40-45 years ago...

During an international air show, the Soviets' entry, a high-tech fighter, had electrician's tape mending some rubber hoses. Man, did our media have a field day with that one! "Evil commies" had to rely on hardware-store-grade electrician's tape to fix its super-high tech fighter jets! No match for American ingenuity and top-of-the-line technology! We were sooooo superior!

Now this...

My, how the mighty have fallen.

[progressoid]

4. And now we fly on their rockets to the space station.

[KansDem]

6. Sad, isn't it?

Perhaps we Americans should heed Richard Strauss's self assessment--

“I may not be a first-class composer but I am a first-rate second-class composer."

[Sunlei]

5. oh god, think they would use nice ss or bronze pipe in a nuke facility instead of the cheap pipes.

[Sirveri]

21. It's traditionally high carbon steel (like 1050), that has been pre-corroded.

They then add chemicals to maintain the pH to mitigate the corrosion (which I don't think I'm allowed to talk about, but I suspect I still remember the pH band for the primary).

They know the pipes will corrode, so they form the oxide layer and then try and keep it there while mitigating other corrosion factors so that the oxide layer acts as a barrier.

As for materials, bronze is VERY weak, and VERY expensive. Stainless like the 400 variants would probably work, however then you have to worry about the chromium in the blend going through the reactor and activating, which would make the coolant water more radioactive and increase worker exposure rates. It's also about 5$/lb compared to $0.50/lb.

[Tikki]

7. This, all NUKE energy lovers, is the future of nuclear energy..

It is an industry and a business and like most of the U.S. businesses there is a rush to the
bottom in this business.
Contractors hire to get through a contract. Pretty much profit is the bottom line and is the driving force.
Often communications is minimal.

Used to be safety was all that was talked about in that industry...
The industry has gotten away with a lot while the proverbial "you" weren't looking or even caring.
It is not a self-healing entity.


The Tikkis

[olddad56]

8. If you fix your nuclear power plant with tape, plastic bags, and broomsticks..

You just might be a red-neck.

I mean no offense to those who of you who are actually red-necks, but this story would seem like a Jeff Foxworthy joke, if it were a laughing matter.

[Kali]

10. ...

(I can think of two spots fixed just like that, around here right this minute )

[tblue37]

17. This is how Homer Simpson would operate in his safety inspector job at the

nuclear plant.

[Blue Owl]

9. Who is that man, Smithers?

It's Homer Simpson, sir.

Simpson, eh?

[Kali]

11. it'd work better

if they used some old tire inner tube. rubber on the broomstick seals better than plastic bags.

[SunSeeker]

12. That shit-pile is just down the coast from me--and millions of other people.

[flamingdem]

14. exactly!

this one hits home, as I wrote below - am glad I have some potassium iodine in the cupboard!

[flamingdem]

13. noooooo

where is my iodine..

[darkangel218]

15. I got mine already

potassium iodide.

[flamingdem]

16. I will admit that I got it during Fukushima

since I'm on the coast. Later I realized it was overkill, but now with San Onofre, close to me, I don't mind having it around. It wasn't cheap at the time. The health food stores were gouging!

[darkangel218]

18. Its still cheap now.

I got the one made in Sweden, only $11 for 20 capsules. Iknow there are cheaper brands online, but theyre not FDA approved.
I agree its good to have it, you never know. For the potassium iodide to be effective, it needs to be taken within the first 8 hours of a nuclear disaster.

[Sirveri]

22. Hope you replace your stock periodically, I remember that stuff having a shelf life.

3 years if I remember right. Would also be useful for you to have a particulate filtering gas mask to get rid of the solid radioactive particulates (have plenty of spares, those filters will load up with radioactive emitters after a while, and right next to your neck and face). We typically used EAB's connected to the ships main air banks.

[smirkymonkey]

19. I'm so glad we live in such an advanced nation.

I feel so much safer.