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Surely the main cause of failure is human rather than the actual design. Nuclear stations may be safe, but that comes at an increasing cost in money and comple
by 7952 12y ago
Surely the main cause of failure is human rather than the actual design. Nuclear stations may be safe, but that comes at an increasing cost in money and complexity. How do we deal with the institutional failings that allowed us to build "old reactors with very shitty failure modes". Stop blaming it on the tech. I want reactors that are simple enough to be cheap and easy.
- MichaelApproved 12y agoHumans will always make mistakes, even within the design process. Nuclear is a dangerous technology to make a mistake with. Diablo Canyon Power Plant was partially built backwards, by mistake. It's absurd. The company updated its plans and added structural supports designed to reinforce stability in case of earthquake. In September 1981, PG&E discovered that a single set of blueprints was used for these structural supports; workers were supposed to have reversed the plans when switching to the second reactor, but did not. According to Charles Perrow, the result of the error was that "many parts were needlessly reinforced, while others, which should have been strengthened, were left untouched." Nonetheless, on March 19, 1982 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided not to review its 1978 decision approving the plant's safety, despite these and other design errors. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diablo_Canyon_Power_Plant
- wstrange 12y agoAll technologies are dangerous, but nuclear is one of the safest forms of power (deaths per Kwh generated). For the sake of the environment we need to get over our irrational fear of nuclear power.
- MichaelApproved 12y agoI just quoted an article where the builders of the power plant built part of the plant backwards. The fear is justified and rational.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago> Stop blaming it on the tech. I want reactors that are simple enough to be cheap and easy. Find a way to put people in charge who aren't irresponsibly incompetent then. Until then, nuclear isn't a feasible option.