System 361 (FILTRA) provides a filtered pressure relief for the reactor containment in the event of its failure (pressure increase). System 361 is activated via a rupture disc V1 which should rupture at a differential pressure of 5.08 - 5.4 bar across the disc. During the refuelling outage it is possible to replace the rupture disc. After replacement during the outage in 2001, the rupture disc was tested and failed at 3.36 bar instead of as expected at a pressure of at least 5.08 - 5.4 bar. The reason was found to be that the wrong rupture disc had been installed during the outage in 2000. This means that pressure relief of the reactor containment (barrier) would have occurred at a pressure lower than calculated in the event of failure. The safety consequences are judged in this case to be insignificant since the specified suction pressure margins (NPSH) for residual heating and emergency cooling pumps would have been maintained. There would not either have been any unacceptable pressure transients in the reactor containment. The possible impact on the environment is judged to be small.
The Netherlands has agreed to allow Urenco to be used for the British military nuclear program. This clears the way for uranium enriched by Urenco to be used in nuclear weapons. With his decision, Foreign Minister Berendsen (CDA Christen Democrats) is departing from the principle that civilian and military nuclear applications must remain strictly separate. […]
Behnam Raeesian is an internationally recognized visual artist and poster designer from Iran, known for bold political and cultural works. Through exhibitions, workshops, jury roles, and collaborations with cultural institutions worldwide, he has built a strong voice in contemporary political graphic design. His projects confront complex issues such as nuclear risk and technological impact, transforming […]
Everywhere you look, the nuclear industry’s hype machine is in overdrive. Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and the UK government all tout small modular reactors as the silver bullet for climate change and energy security. Tech billionaires are hiring nuclear veterans. Wall Street is whispering about “round-the-clock power” for artificial intelligence data centers. For those old enough […]
Kernenergie en veiligheid: A wargame sought to test if a major radiological release that would prompt the evacuation of millions of civilians in South Korea could distract key US allies from assisting and rebuffing an all-out military invasion of Taiwan. The short answer was yes. The game originally presumed that China, wanting to keep the […]
Big batteries and EVs to the rescue again as faults with new nuclear plant cause chaos on Nordic grids The Finnish nuclear power plant Olkiluoto was finally connected to the grid last year, at an estimated cost of €11 billion compared to the original budget of €3 billion. That cost blowout forced its developer, the […]
