Connected

Nuclear Energy

Part I

A few weeks ago, I was in Baltimore for the Nuclear Energy Institute Cyber Security Workshop.  The workshop was intended for licensees of nuclear plants, to learn how to comply with the Nuclear Regulatory Commissions regulation 10 CFR 73.54.  The conference included speakers that discussed the latest cyber security threats, tools to help with assessments, and guidance for regulatory compliance.  Security workshops are held for many industries, such as health care which must meet HIPAA compliance, and banking which must meet PCI compliance.  However, as I sat and listened to the speakers, I thought never has securing our sources of energy been more vital, especially nuclear energy.  

The United States has an insatiable appetite for energy; we are addicted to our consuming lifestyle.  There are definite withdrawals when the lights go out, and we are left without power.   In 2006, I went through five hurricanes; the worst being Wilma, that left us without power for 17 days.  Hot showers are quickly missed, the dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator, which were once viewed as part of our basic necessities, soon are mere unneeded luxuries when compared to such things as ATM’s or gas pumps – everything is electronic and everything is connected.  

Not only are we connected at home, but at work, and on the road.  Never in history have a people been more dependent on energy than we are now.  Think about your day, what would you have been able to accomplish today without power?  

Recent events in Egypt, and what this upheaval may mean, for the whole of the Middle East and the world, make it imperative that the United States continue to invest in current and alternative sources of electricity generation, which includes nuclear energy.

When we think of nuclear energy, many of us would remember the movie, China Syndrome and the worst nuclear accident in the United States, Three Mile Island.  Coincidentally, the movie was released twelve days before the Three Mile Island accident.  http://imdb.to/heudHp 

The two most common types of nuclear reactors are, pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR).  Three Mile Island consisted of two pressurized water reactors.  One of the reactors had a partial core meltdown, due to a combination of mechanical failures and insufficient training, with poor design of the instrumentation, which led to a misreading of events.  http://bit.ly/JMBhf  

However, it should be noted, that the technology did not fail at Three Mile Island, rather it was a case of user error.  The plant operators did not understand what the instruments were saying. 

Water supplied to the steam generator was reduced due to a valve which failed closed, and all systems proceeded to act accordingly, when such a failure ensues.  The turbine and reactor tripped within seconds, however, due to routine maintenance, other valves were closed, and thus causing the secondary emergency feedwater pumps the inability to provide water to the steam generators.  Pressure began to increase in the reactor cooling system, the primary system, since heat could not be removed, given that there was not any water.  A relief valve in the primary system opened but did not close again and this allowed the coolant water to escape.  Though signals in the control room showed that the valve was still open, the signals were confusing to the operators.  The event began at 4:00 in the morning, though it was undetected; at 6:00 in the morning there was a change of shift.  The new shift discovered that the valve was open, but by the time of the detection, the damage had already been done.  

The side effects of Three Mile Island have been far reaching.  Vast improvements have been made for training and engineering.  But there is still a basic fear in the United States over Nuclear Energy as a safe and green alternative.  The demand for energy is going to grow, regardless of our energy saving devices; yet our current sources for power, such as oil and coal are diminishing, as their cost rises.  It is time for us to take another look at Nuclear energy and understand how we can stay safely connected

(Look Part II of this Article)

This entry was posted on February 12, 2011 at 9:44 pm and is filed under Connected, RightSide, SlideShow. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.