Comments on: Jellyfish swarm forces nuclear plant shutdown http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Tue, 21 May 2013 18:24:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Gordon JC Pearce http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152771 Gordon JC Pearce Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152771 I wasn't disagreeing with the post ;-) The Scientific American article is aimed at a less technical audience, and missed out a couple of fairly crucial bits of information about Torness. I did post a couple of links, to the BBC article and to a technical description of the pair of Torness AGRs, but obviously I need to lern2intarnet properly since they didn't show up. I wasn’t disagreeing with the post ;-)

The Scientific American article is aimed at a less technical audience, and missed out a couple of fairly crucial bits of information about Torness. I did post a couple of links, to the BBC article and to a technical description of the pair of Torness AGRs, but obviously I need to lern2intarnet properly since they didn’t show up.

]]> By: eli http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1153029 eli Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1153029 "...output power is about as controllable as a car engine" By your words, can we conclude that this nuclear power station is as safe as a samovar? “…output power is about as controllable as a car engine”

By your words, can we conclude that this nuclear power station is as safe as a samovar?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152803 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152803 (good to know that the plant is safe. i'm in trouble about something though: in its state of controlled shutdown, does it need a constant flow of seawater to maintain it?) .~. (good to know that the plant is safe. i’m in trouble about something though: in its state of controlled shutdown, does it need a constant flow of seawater to maintain it?)

.~.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152555 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152555 Sure they're not Japanese Man-o-Nuclear Wars? Sure they’re not Japanese Man-o-Nuclear Wars?

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152557 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152557 Er, Portuguese. I need coffee.ster Er, Portuguese. I need coffee.ster

]]> By: Richard Kirk http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1153082 Richard Kirk Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1153082 Giant swarms of jellyfish attacking nuclear powerstations? That has got to be a 1950's horror movie. Seriously, if you are blonde, look good in a short dress, and can go "eeeeeee!" very loudly, then you should get down there: they need you. Giant swarms of jellyfish attacking nuclear powerstations? That has got to be a 1950′s horror movie. Seriously, if you are blonde, look good in a short dress, and can go “eeeeeee!” very loudly, then you should get down there: they need you.

]]> By: beslayed http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1159226 beslayed Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1159226 <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/jul/08/jellyfish-overfishing-ocean-acidification">Have jellyfish come to rule the waves? - Overfishing and ocean acidification have created the perfect conditions for the end of a vertebrate ecology | The Guardian </a> Have jellyfish come to rule the waves? – Overfishing and ocean acidification have created the perfect conditions for the end of a vertebrate ecology | The Guardian

]]> By: emmdeeaych http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152625 emmdeeaych Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152625 In general, if you're going to contradict the post and the linked article, you should provide a citation. Your word is nice and all, but you're a guest. In general, if you’re going to contradict the post and the linked article, you should provide a citation. Your word is nice and all, but you’re a guest.

]]> By: andy maluche http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152897 andy maluche Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152897 A while back jelly fish blocked the intake of cooling water at the Sual power plant in the Philippines causing a vast power outage in all of Luzon (main island) for a couple of days. I thought nuclear power plants couldn't be cooled with sea water? A while back jelly fish blocked the intake of cooling water at the Sual power plant in the Philippines causing a vast power outage in all of Luzon (main island) for a couple of days.

I thought nuclear power plants couldn’t be cooled with sea water?

]]> By: querent http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152902 querent Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152902 "After Fukushima I was ready to swear off ever supporting nuclear energy again. But after reading your much more nuanced and sane coverage, I realized most of my fears were unfounded." "In truth, very, very, very few people have ever died from nuclear accidents (certainly when compared to the coal industry), and our ability to contain accidents is improving with each new generation of reactors. The real issue is more about making sure reactors are properly funded for maintenance and improvements." You certainly have some well formed opinions, to have been so ignorant a few short weeks ago. Am I crazy, or does this read like a painfully obvious PR statement to anyone else? This is off topic, I know. Crazy about the jelly fish. “After Fukushima I was ready to swear off ever supporting nuclear energy again. But after reading your much more nuanced and sane coverage, I realized most of my fears were unfounded.”

“In truth, very, very, very few people have ever died from nuclear accidents (certainly when compared to the coal industry), and our ability to contain accidents is improving with each new generation of reactors. The real issue is more about making sure reactors are properly funded for maintenance and improvements.”

You certainly have some well formed opinions, to have been so ignorant a few short weeks ago.

Am I crazy, or does this read like a painfully obvious PR statement to anyone else?

This is off topic, I know. Crazy about the jelly fish.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152921 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152921 "Basically, this is how I've learned to stop worrying and love nuclear power." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/ “Basically, this is how I’ve learned to stop worrying and love nuclear power.”

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/

]]> By: Alexander Polanco http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152668 Alexander Polanco Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152668 He's correct. The BBC (Which I expect to have more accurate information about plants within their primary area of operation) says it's an Adv. Gas Cooled. I would also point out that the SciAm article only references the popular conception of how nuclear power plants in general are cooled. It's a Reuters article though, so I guess I can't fault them for not knowing. Citation: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13971005 He’s correct. The BBC (Which I expect to have more accurate information about plants within their primary area of operation) says it’s an Adv. Gas Cooled. I would also point out that the SciAm article only references the popular conception of how nuclear power plants in general are cooled. It’s a Reuters article though, so I guess I can’t fault them for not knowing.

Citation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-13971005

]]> By: TabulaRasa http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1153181 TabulaRasa Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1153181 And because nuclear power is so safe and controllable... ...state promised pick up the bill in case of a nuclear disaster (at least here in germany) because insurance companies refused to insure them. ...they decided to shut down their plant even if that means losing revenue. ...you can buy plutonium and uranium in your local home depot. ...everyone wants to live near such a plant. ...the area around chernobyl is still a no-go area. ...we go great lenghts to find suitable places to bury our nuclear waste. ...people living near fukushima are being evacuated. basically, there is no difference between a nuclear bomb and a nuclear plant. To stick with the car picture: there is no difference between what's going on in your car engines combustion chamber and what's going on when a conventional bomb blows up. And because nuclear power is so safe and controllable…

…state promised pick up the bill in case of a nuclear disaster (at least here in germany) because insurance companies refused to insure them.
…they decided to shut down their plant even if that means losing revenue.
…you can buy plutonium and uranium in your local home depot.
…everyone wants to live near such a plant.
…the area around chernobyl is still a no-go area.
…we go great lenghts to find suitable places to bury our nuclear waste.
…people living near fukushima are being evacuated.

basically, there is no difference between a nuclear bomb and a nuclear plant. To stick with the car picture: there is no difference between what’s going on in your car engines combustion chamber and what’s going on when a conventional bomb blows up.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152929 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152929 You're right, under normal conditions. Ever notice how power plants (coal and nuclear) are located near lakes, rivers, and oceans? It's to cool the coolant coolant. Coolant 1 cools the core (transports heat out of the core). Water, CO2, and He are used. Coolant 2 cools coolant 1 (creating steam, which drives turbines). Water is usually used, but gas can be too. Coolant 3 cools coolant 2 (so that coolant 2 can be reused). Coolant 3 is what is cooled in the iconic nuclear cooling towers. You just want cheap, plentiful coolness as a source, so rivers, and oceans work great. Here's an example of the 3 stages of the type of reactor in the article: http://www.nucleartourist.com/type/gcr.htm You’re right, under normal conditions. Ever notice how power plants (coal and nuclear) are located near lakes, rivers, and oceans? It’s to cool the coolant coolant.

Coolant 1 cools the core (transports heat out of the core). Water, CO2, and He are used.

Coolant 2 cools coolant 1 (creating steam, which drives turbines). Water is usually used, but gas can be too.

Coolant 3 cools coolant 2 (so that coolant 2 can be reused). Coolant 3 is what is cooled in the iconic nuclear cooling towers. You just want cheap, plentiful coolness as a source, so rivers, and oceans work great.

Here’s an example of the 3 stages of the type of reactor in the article: http://www.nucleartourist.com/type/gcr.htm

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152930 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152930 Nuclear reactor cores can not be cooled with salt water, without ruining them. Nuclear power plants like many other types of power plants have other parts that also heat up and need to be cooled for example steam turbines, heat exchange pumps and so on. Nuclear reactor cores can not be cooled with salt water, without ruining them. Nuclear power plants like many other types of power plants have other parts that also heat up and need to be cooled for example steam turbines, heat exchange pumps and so on.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152682 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152682 Thanks, Maggie, for injecting calm into this debate about nuclear power. After Fukushima I was ready to swear off ever supporting nuclear energy again. But after reading your much more nuanced and sane coverage, I realized most of my fears were unfounded. There is so much hyperbole and scaremongering on the part of anti-nuclear activists that it becomes hard to separate fact from fiction. In truth, very, very, very few people have ever died from nuclear accidents (certainly when compared to the coal industry), and our ability to contain accidents is improving with each new generation of reactors. The real issue is more about making sure reactors are properly funded for maintenance and improvements. Basically, this is how I've learned to stop worrying and love nuclear power. Thanks, Maggie, for injecting calm into this debate about nuclear power. After Fukushima I was ready to swear off ever supporting nuclear energy again. But after reading your much more nuanced and sane coverage, I realized most of my fears were unfounded. There is so much hyperbole and scaremongering on the part of anti-nuclear activists that it becomes hard to separate fact from fiction. In truth, very, very, very few people have ever died from nuclear accidents (certainly when compared to the coal industry), and our ability to contain accidents is improving with each new generation of reactors. The real issue is more about making sure reactors are properly funded for maintenance and improvements. Basically, this is how I’ve learned to stop worrying and love nuclear power.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152696 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152696 I'd just like to point out that here in the USA, we'd still be running that reactor, because precautionary measures are for pussies. If anything goes wrong no rich people will get hurt, so who cares anyway. This is also our attitude towards AGW. I’d just like to point out that here in the USA, we’d still be running that reactor, because precautionary measures are for pussies.

If anything goes wrong no rich people will get hurt, so who cares anyway.

This is also our attitude towards AGW.

]]> By: pepsibookcat http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152502 pepsibookcat Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152502 And, you thought it would be the squid overlords we'd have to worry about... And, you thought it would be the squid overlords we’d have to worry about…

]]> By: Gordon JC Pearce http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152509 Gordon JC Pearce Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152509 It's probably worth pointing out before the "ZOMG FUKUSHIMA!" posts start that this is an Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor, and therefore output power is about as controllable as a car engine. Open throttle, power goes up, close throttle, power goes down. The sea water does not cool the reactor, but parts of the steam plant which are pretty much identical to that for a coal-fired plant - one of the design critera was that the steam turbines should be effectively interchangeable with those from coal power stations. It’s probably worth pointing out before the “ZOMG FUKUSHIMA!” posts start that this is an Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor, and therefore output power is about as controllable as a car engine. Open throttle, power goes up, close throttle, power goes down.

The sea water does not cool the reactor, but parts of the steam plant which are pretty much identical to that for a coal-fired plant – one of the design critera was that the steam turbines should be effectively interchangeable with those from coal power stations.

]]> By: emmdeeaych http://boingboing.net/2011/06/30/jellyfish-swarm-forc.html#comment-1152767 emmdeeaych Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1152767 I definitely believed him, and you too, and I thank you for the citation - which is much more valuable than an anonymous voice in a fact based discussion. I definitely believed him, and you too, and I thank you for the citation – which is much more valuable than an anonymous voice in a fact based discussion.

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