Message posted by Steve Amerson on October 30, 2000 at 13:47:40 EST:
Well, these plants were the first to enrich uranium for production into fissionable material in a good enough grade to be used in bombs. I understand the basic process for "gaseous difussion" in the K25 plant, but how mercury plays a part in it, I don't know. If memory serves me correct, it seems like I read about a FOIA that someone had filed about mercury losses in Oak Ridge and it totalled somewhere in the 50 ton range that was unnaccounted for since 1944. That seems like a lot of mercury, but the way that security is about anyone going near any waterways here, it is probably correct. Even as far down as Watts Bar nuclear plant,(app. 60-75 miles downstream), there are warnings about eating too many fish. I eat NO fish from the entire Tennessee river. All of this contamination is not from the nuclear plant at Watts Bar,(like many uninformed people believe), but the residual effects of weapons production upstream at Oak Ridge. I personally think that the breeder reactor got part of the blame for that "Manhattan Project" crap that has so affected everyone here. I think politics entered the picture somewhat too. Back in the 1970's this state was heavily democratic, EXCEPT for East TN.,(where the plants were located on the Oak Ridge reservation). It has been said that the Democratic machine from middle and west TN didn't want east TN to get the breeder reactor because it was seen to improve the Republican held East Tennessee's economy even more and thus tip the balance of power because of the influx of new jobs in the area,etc...I don't know, but it seems feasible. In your professional opinion, do you think that nuclear power will ever get another chance at being a dominant source of new power in this country or has it been so maligned in the media,("China Syndrome",Chernobyl and other harping on things like this), that is is finished from ever being the new horizon? At Watts Bar plant there is a fuller complete reactor #2 that is ready to go, but they say will never be fired up because of environmental pressure. What a waste of money.. Steve
In Reply to: Nuclear R&D posted by Andre' M. Dallau on October 30, 2000 at 13:15:28 EST:
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