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Subj: Post Register Document
Post Register (Idaho Falls, ID)
Post Register (Idaho Falls, ID)
Post Register (Idaho Falls, ID)
February 6, 2004
Power pioneers
Section: Opinion
Page: a6
Index Terms:
Hot Topics
Estimated printed pages: 1
Article Text:
Kathleen O'Neil's write-up on Jan. 9
about the SPERT pioneers was refreshing. Workers in many areas of nuclear power
reactor research were impacted as the AEC wrecked many investigations including
SPERT. The SPERT investigations were invaluable. But the AEC stifled the
investigators before the work was complete.
Clyde Toole is quoted, "We had
an open ended charter to see if we could improve safety." F. L.
"Skeets" Bentzen agreed, "We could do things that we couldn't
even think about doing today." Toole added, "I feel we lost safety.
To me you lose all incentive when you can't make any decisions."
Unfortunately, SPERT was liquidated
by the AEC while its mission was far from complete. Today our nation has about
100 nuclear power reactors in operation. SPERT was fueled with clean stainless
steel clad elements. Today's reactors are fueled with zirconium alloy clad fuel
elements. Many of today's power reactors operate for extended durations with
highly fouled (dirty) fuel elements. Unfortunately SPERT never included fouled
zirconium alloy fuel in its menu of tests. And the research workers in today's
DOE and NRC programs have no authorization to even think of the ramifications.
The SL-1 reactor accident of early
January 1961 illustrated what happens when a dirty core blows up. The heavily
oxidized and fouled aluminum cladding has never been recognized by the AEC and
its successors as a significant factor in the severity of that accident. And
today, the rulers of the DOE and NRC persist in ignoring the implications of
dirty reactor cores among our nation's 100 nuclear power reactors.
BOB LEYSE
Sun Valley
Copyright
© 2004 Post Company
Record Number: 616768-02062004
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