4 ms·

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_reactor

mietek 10y ago
> There exists currently no dismantling method for the AVR vessel, but it is planned to develop some procedure during the next 60 years and to start with vessel dismantling at the end of the century. Wow! Thanks for the link.
- schoen 10y ago
  I had also not heard of this. The English article makes it sound like it's going to take 60 years to invent a way to decommission the reactor, but the more detailed German article on the same topic says > Erst nach einer weiteren Abklingzeit von mindestens 60 Jahren soll der AVR-Behälter schließlich von Robotern zerlegt werden und in ein Endlager überführt werden. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_(J%C3%BClich)#R.C3.BCckbau.2C_Entsorgung https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_(J%C3%BClich)#R.C3.BCckbau... 'not until after a further decay period of at least 60 years will the AVR vessel finally be taken apart by robots and transported to a final disposal location' So it seems that the 60 year period isn't specifically to allow for the invention of a decommissioning technique for this site, but primarily to allow the radiation levels inside to diminish. It still sounds like a very extreme situation.
mikeash 10y ago
Do I understand that correctly from that page that the reactor was completely unshielded at the top, and they just relied on the fact that people wouldn't be there? That seems completely mad. The past is a weird place.
- ars 10y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyshine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyshine Apparently until that reactor no one realized the radiation can reflect off the air and reach the surroundings.
  - mikeash 10y ago
    Even without that, you'd think they would want to avoid irradiating birds and creating carbon-14 in the atmosphere.
    - emp_zealoth 10y ago
      Oh, don't be suprised. The attitudes were cavalier at best, criminally moronic (or downright despicable) at worst Usa of the western countries has the worst track record. (Injecting people with plutonium, irradiating prisoners and troops, etc etc) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_con... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant The british didn't want to install air filters in this one at first - they were an addon in the very last stages of construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_con...
      - mikeash 10y ago
        For that last one, I assume you meant this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire That one has always amazed me. A nuclear reactor just sitting in open air! Moderated by a flammable material! And then everyone is shocked, shocked! when it catches fire. But at least Windscale and the others had the excuse of being military projects. I'd have hoped a civilian reactor would be at least marginally sane.
  - lostlogin 10y ago
    I was chatting with an industrial radiographer who used to image tanks, looking for stress fractures in the armour plate. They could only do thiamin clear days at the bottom of a quarry as the radiation dose in a nearby town was notably higher if it was cloudy. All hearsay, by possibly relevant.
frik 10y ago
> AVR was the basis of the technology licensed to China to build HTR-10. irresponsible
- iso-8859-1 10y ago
  Can you elaborate on that? A one word reply like this is not very interesting.

> There exists currently no dismantling method for the AVR vessel, but it is planned to develop some procedure during the next 60 years and to start with vessel dismantling at the end of the century. Wow! Thanks for the link.

schoen 10y ago
I had also not heard of this. The English article makes it sound like it's going to take 60 years to invent a way to decommission the reactor, but the more detailed German article on the same topic says > Erst nach einer weiteren Abklingzeit von mindestens 60 Jahren soll der AVR-Behälter schließlich von Robotern zerlegt werden und in ein Endlager überführt werden. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_(J%C3%BClich)#R.C3.BCckbau.2C_Entsorgung https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVR_(J%C3%BClich)#R.C3.BCckbau... 'not until after a further decay period of at least 60 years will the AVR vessel finally be taken apart by robots and transported to a final disposal location' So it seems that the 60 year period isn't specifically to allow for the invention of a decommissioning technique for this site, but primarily to allow the radiation levels inside to diminish. It still sounds like a very extreme situation.

mikeash 10y ago

Do I understand that correctly from that page that the reactor was completely unshielded at the top, and they just relied on the fact that people wouldn't be there? That seems completely mad. The past is a weird place.

ars 10y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyshine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyshine Apparently until that reactor no one realized the radiation can reflect off the air and reach the surroundings.
- mikeash 10y ago
  Even without that, you'd think they would want to avoid irradiating birds and creating carbon-14 in the atmosphere.
  - emp_zealoth 10y ago
    Oh, don't be suprised. The attitudes were cavalier at best, criminally moronic (or downright despicable) at worst Usa of the western countries has the worst track record. (Injecting people with plutonium, irradiating prisoners and troops, etc etc) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_con... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Flats_Plant The british didn't want to install air filters in this one at first - they were an addon in the very last stages of construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_concerns https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site#Environmental_con...
    - mikeash 10y ago
      For that last one, I assume you meant this? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windscale_fire That one has always amazed me. A nuclear reactor just sitting in open air! Moderated by a flammable material! And then everyone is shocked, shocked! when it catches fire. But at least Windscale and the others had the excuse of being military projects. I'd have hoped a civilian reactor would be at least marginally sane.
- lostlogin 10y ago
  I was chatting with an industrial radiographer who used to image tanks, looking for stress fractures in the armour plate. They could only do thiamin clear days at the bottom of a quarry as the radiation dose in a nearby town was notably higher if it was cloudy. All hearsay, by possibly relevant.

frik 10y ago

> AVR was the basis of the technology licensed to China to build HTR-10. irresponsible

iso-8859-1 10y ago
Can you elaborate on that? A one word reply like this is not very interesting.