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WaPo: One week delay in revealing whether quake exceeded North Anna’s design basis — Seismic detector failed to record data

Published: September 4th, 2011 at 12:17 pm ET
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At North Anna nuclear plant, reassurances but no final data on quake impact, Washington Post by Brian Vastag, September 2, 2011:

[...] Yet nearly two weeks after the quake, Dominion officials were unable to say whether the quake shook the facility more than it was designed to handle.

“I don’t have those numbers,” Daniel Stoddard, Dominion’s senior vice president for nuclear operations, said repeatedly.

It will be another week before final analysis of the “shake plates,” which recorded ground motion at the site, is finished, he said, although a Dominion spokesman had promised that analysis by Friday.

In the control room, a 1970s-era seismic detector failed to record data for a critical eight seconds when primary power went down, slowing the company’s analysis. The company has added a battery backup to the unit to prevent a recurrence. [...]

h/t Anonymous tip

Published: September 4th, 2011 at 12:17 pm ET
By
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14 comments

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  1. Quake-hit Virginia nuclear reactors “in an unanalyzed condition that significantly degrades plant safety”– Data shows quake may have exceeded design basis August 29, 2011
  2. WaPo: NRC directs quake-hit North Anna nuke plant to inspect supports for Reactor Pressure Vessel — No “significant” problems? November 6, 2011
  3. NYT: North Anna nuke plant in situation that no US reactor has ever faced before — NRC has no protocol to see if design held up after quake September 8, 2011
  4. Experts concerned about North Anna: “Uncomfortably close” to maximum quake that nuke plant was designed to withstand August 24, 2011
  5. CNN: Officials kept news from public that North Anna’s spent fuel casks shifted — Have known since shortly after quake hit Aug. 23 September 1, 2011
September 4th, 2011 | Tags: | Category: North Anna (VA), US
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14 comments to WaPo: One week delay in revealing whether quake exceeded North Anna’s design basis — Seismic detector failed to record data

  • BreadAndButter BreadAndButter
    September 4, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    HILARIOUS.
    Incompetence everywhere.


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  • Sickputer
    September 4, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Very competent in misinformation. What do you bet they already have seismic data, but it has been “lost”? They lied about the fault line during construction so frankly their word is always suspect.


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  • xdrfox
    September 4, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    And it’s going to be a photo Finnish folks !!!
    Courtesy Photo Shop Language !
    Augmenters and $$$$$ !!!


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  • moonshellblue moonshellblue
    September 4, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    Now they add a backup, Wow not to be redundant but yes incompetence run amok.


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  • moonshellblue moonshellblue
    September 4, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    And the bulldozers move on. I can’t believe they would build another one. What are they thinking.


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  • Al-Chemisto
    September 4, 2011 at 1:09 pm

    Mr. Brian Valsag might have better reported the “news” instead of:
    “In the control room, a 1970s-era seismic detector failed to record data for a critical eight seconds when primary power went down, slowing the company’s analysis. The company has added a battery backup to the unit to prevent a recurrence. [...]”
    As:
    “I have been told by company representatives that a 1970′s seismic detector did not record data for “only” the critical eight seconds that we are all so interested in. The company has upgraded the system with a battery backup, so that this will “never” happen again. (Until another eight seconds of data needs to disappear.)”
    But being as Brian is an owned asset of WaPo and takes the money, he knows the rules and only writes what he is told, only looks where he is told, only thinks what he is told.

    Time to shop elsewhere. :) Hi All, first post! :)


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  • pg
    September 4, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    They failed to record data because the entire East coast shifted. Ive heard a bunch of BS related to this quake and it was all that. BS. a 5.8 doesn’t shake 1000s of miles or last 33 minutes…like that quake did.

    Shut’em all down because they will be used against us as weapons some day if we don’t.


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  • jec
    September 4, 2011 at 2:19 pm

    “..there are signs that the power station is showing its age. Its two reactors went online in 1978 and 1980. Most of the electronic monitors that Linder scans so closely are actually of a 1970s analog design. A few digital screens are about, but some of the wiring in the control room looks like something from an early black and white television.”
    From old article, Dominion Power KNEW the the sensors were deficient(1970s):
    http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-green-nuke/Content?oid=1360846


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    • Darth
      September 4, 2011 at 3:22 pm

      It’s hard to believe that this plant has not suffered some critical damage. The neutron embrittlement of surrounding structures alone should give reason for pause. Embrittlement concerns is one of the major reason these plants were expected to last for only 40 years.

      Began operation in say 1978. That means they are presently 43 years old. The insanity continues – it’s Las Vegas everywhere.


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      • lokay5
        September 5, 2011 at 2:22 am

        “it’s Las Vegas everywhere”

        But unfortunately, nuclear fallout is not “like Las Vegas”, because at least “what happens in ‘Vegas STAYS in ‘Vegas”…..

        What happened at NNTS went EVERYWHERE!


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  • James2
    September 6, 2011 at 5:09 pm

    The earlier article – the one about the spent fuel canisters shifting, clearly stated that they knew the earthquake exceeded design criteria – within just a few minutes of the quake.

    I think they are trying like crazy to backpedal on that statement – because they know they will have to junk the plant if it exceeded design specs.


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