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Punching hole in reactor dome a fluid situation - San Diego Union Tribune

By Onell R. Soto pv["p.a_3"] = ""; Thursday, October 7, 2010 at noon

John Gastaldo pv["p.a_4"] = "John Gastaldo"; / U-T pv["p.a_4"] = "U-T";

This is the site where a hole will be made to be able to install a new steam generator.

What's the biggest task the interim chief nuclear officer at San Onofre faces? CLICK HERE to read the U-T's interview with Joe Sheppard.

What’s next?

--San Onofre has a federal license to operate until 2022.

--Early next year, Southern California Edison plans to ask the California Public Utilities Commission for permission to spend money it collects from electricity users on a multimillion-dollar relicensing effort.

--If the PUC decides that it makes sense to go forward, Edison would ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license that would allow the plant to operate until 2042.

--A key issue will be how to deal with the plant’s design, which kills millions of fish larvae and other sea creatures as it brings in ocean water for cooling.

The concrete on the containment dome housing reactors at the San Onofre nuclear plant is strong.

Stronger, in fact, than plant leaders thought when a year ago they used giant hammers to crush it to punch a 28-by-28-foot hole in the side of the northern dome, Unit 2, for a plant upgrade.

Coming in from the outside, workers started with large devices, like big jackhammers, to turn the concrete into rubble.

They used smaller mechanical hammers when they got close to the inside of the dome.

The hammers banged and punched. And got nowhere. So workers had to use the big hammers, and that damaged a quarter-inch-thick lining on the inside of the dome, requiring repairs.

So now, when punching a hole in the second dome, which houses Unit 3, workers will use a different, more expensive technology: Water.

Coming out of nozzles at 25,000 pounds per square inch, jets will pulverize the concrete without damaging the lining.

The holes in the domes are needed for a $671 million maintenance project — the replacement of four massive units that boil water to drive the steam turbines that make 20 percent of the electricity used in the region.

"We haven't built nuclear units since the '70s," said project manager Michael Wharton. "This is as close as we've come."

The project is paid for through electricity rates, including those in San Diego.

It’s a bargain, Southern California Edison officials said, because to buy fossil-fueled power to replace San Onofre’s output would cost $1 billion.

The devices, called steam generators, are essentially large heat exchangers. Water heated to 600 degrees by nuclear reactions flows through thousands of tubes at high pressure. Fresh water is poured over the tubes to create the steam. Each reactor feeds two steam generators.

Some of the tubes have become plugged in the roughly 28 years since the two operating reactors came online. (Unit 1 has been decommissioned.)

So, to increase efficiency, and to make sure that the plant can operate safely at least until 2022, when its license expires, the units have to be replaced.

The final act in that 10-year process begins this month, when Unit 3 will power down, its uranium fuel removed, and workers begin shooting water at its containment dome.

Once the hole is open, the two steam generators inside — coated with a fixative to prevent any radioactive material from falling off — will be carefully removed.

Then the new units, built in Kobe, Japan, by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, will take their place.

The units are now laying sideways in giant tents where Unit 1 used to sit. They will be trucked into place next to Unit 3, lifted to platforms outside the dome, then raised upright as they slide through the hole.

Parts of the steel generators will come within an inch of the concrete opening.

“It’s a very careful ballet,” said Joe Sheppard, San Onofre’s chief nuclear officer.

After they’re in place, workers will replace the steel lining, repair steel tendons that give the dome its strength, and pour about 100 yards of concrete to rebuild what the jets of water pulverized.

At that point, Sheppard said, “it’s as strong or stronger than it was to begin with.”

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Are We Serious About Fuel Alternatives?

As you can see from some of our previous articles, government agencies predict about 40 years of petroleum still remains. As usage climbs, the amount of time remaining may shrink even more. New reserves will be found, but developing countries, such as we're seeing in China with their industrial revolution taking place, will demand greater volumes of petroleum to supply energy needs.

People under 50 years of age should be considering this phenomenon as a potentially life-changing circumstance. For most of us, there is little we can do except watch events play out, and perhaps vote when the opportunity arises. Our industries must step up to the plate to meet the task at hand.

Since the first petroleum shortages of the 70's, some groups have come to the forefront to inform others about the dangers and difficulties we will face. Few took them seriously. Radical groups made drastic lifestyle changes to reduce their own fuel consumption, and hoped that others would follow suit.

Not likely.

However, these groups are and have been dedicated to spreading the word to the public that we are running out of fuel as we know it. It won't be today, nor next week, nor even 10 years from now. Maybe it's 80 years from now, but all signs and reports indicate we are running out. Social Security also has 40 years of successful operation, but the Bush Administration has clearly taken on the task of "fixing social security", because in about 40 years it's going to crash too, according to administrative estimates.

We suggest that fuel alternatives are even more important than social security.

Without fuel----and MASSIVE quantities of it--- this nation will dry up like a sand dune. Operations of most business will cease, and we'll be returned to the pre-industrial age. Keep vaccinating the horse population for West Nile Virus.....we may need them for transportation.

It is our belief, although we have no solid evidence, that fuel companies are squarely behind the petroleum pumps, and the scare is played very low-key. Huge profits exist where a product can simply be drawn from the ground, and with one refining process, produce gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, methane, etc. from the run. It is by far, the cheapest present alternative for large companies. All corporate companies are dollar driven, and so it makes perfect sense for them to continue using petroleum. Our government has committed more resources than we can ever afford, to secure and protect our overseas interests where petroleum is abundant.

If new massive volumes of petroleum are located, it will alleviate some of the crisis for the time being. But this looming crisis will never go away. It is imperative that government begin providing the means for business of all sizes to develop alternative fuel strategies. Government does at present provide some incentives, in tax breaks, informational support, and even grants, but more can be done. Investing large quantities of time and money into the research and development of alternatives is crucial.

As supplies dwindle, this ever-growing concern will do just that. It will grow. Oil companies will continue to lobby Congress, and place propaganda in the public eye to insure them that everything is OK......just buy oil. But at the same time, the concern about dwindling supplies, and the subsequent raise in prices for petroleum fuels will begin to catch the attention of the general public.

At present, the best bet for alternative, renewable fuels appears to exist with ethanol, biodiesel, and the newest addition to the list, hydrogen fuel cells. But full compatibility with regard to motors and machinery will require some changes in manufacturing. Since most new vehicles are now monitored by computerized equipment, governments need to encourage engine manufacturers to engineer and develop computerized motors that can determine a fuel mix, ethanol, gasoline, biodiesel, etc. and make adjustments to the fuel burning mix at the injection point. Few changes would be needed on the pistons or block. Piston technology is, in its primitive sense, the same design for the last 100 years when steam coursed through the cylinders instead of fuel explosion force. Air-fuel ratios are the biggest hurdle in engine conversions, and computerized sensors would allow a slow changeover without interruptions. By being able to sense what fuel is being used, engines could run on ethanol/gasoline for gas engines, or diesel/biodiesel for diesel engines, with any proportions, and switch back and forth.

While some may envision a whiskey still in everyone's backyard, that is far from realistic. Americans enjoy their plush way of life, and expect to pull up to a fuel pump anywhere in their travels and fill up their tank. Only the fuel mega-companies are up to the task of maintaining such presence. So with all likelihood, the future of alternative fuel manufacturing still lies with major petro-producers.

Some experts have said that alternative fuels are "unfeasible". Perhaps a true statement when looking at the bottom line profit, but as petroleum prices rise, this gap closes, and may reach a point where feasibility is achieved. Corporations will make the jump when this gap is closed.....it's a simple buck to them. It will be important that the American community at large supports such conversions with their capital stock investments, and with their patronage. In other words, be willing to burn an alternative fuel.

Along the lines of feasibility, how about making it feasible for farmers to produce high-oil crops, or crops for fuel? Millions of acres in the Midwest lay idle, because the government programs that pay farmers NOT to grow crops are more lucrative than the potential profit of growing them. For the farmer, it is also a simple buck. So if the government is going to invest tax dollars in these operations, how about paying a farmer TO GROW a crop used for fuel? At least this would allow such acreage payments to be a benefit to the country......perhaps the world, by moving slowly toward independence with regard to fuel production.

Electrical power generation is another large consumer of energy. Nuclear, coal, and hydroelectric make up the bulk of this grid, but wind power is beginning to make significant additions as well. In the last website we reviewed, electricity from wind power is at about 6%.

There is tremendous opportunity to increase the contributions of electrical power via wind and hydro. Because the amounts of power needed are so great, wind farms and hydroelectric dams are huge development projects, which can have a great impact on the landscape and surrounding environment. Environmentalists that reject such proposals need to give themselves a reality check, and come to grips with the size of the problems America faces.

Yes, hydro and wind will impact the environment. Yes, we'll kill some birds. And yes, some fish (lots of fish) will be re-navigated because of hydroelectric dams. But no American......not even an environmentalist.....is willing to give up their computer, their hair dryer, their car, their massive amounts of printer paper, their telephones, their cell phones, their lovely homes.....well, you get the idea. So the impact to the planet if we do NOT develop these technologies is significantly worse. No one will willingly return to the stone age, so any and every fossil fuel will be seized, stolen, or warred after to make the power.....at far greater environmental harm. It is more likely that America would bomb itself back into the stone age over the last drop of oil rather than "conserve" or adapt the livestyle of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

We believe that true energy freedom will not be acquired until our energy is produced from renewables within our borders.

Mega-consolidators will still hold the reins to alternative energies. They'll still have their lobbyists, and a lot of money in their coffers. However, the American Dream will still live on. Our way of life depends upon the procurement and distribution of affordable energy. Only with public support and the encouragement of Congress can businesses develop the systems needed to make it happen.

---Tom Clouser, Madisonburg, PA

Petrol - Clear Vinyl

A convenient source of portable power with low noise and fuel consumption. Has a built-in handle for easy carrying. This is an excellent unit for construction sites, camping, or home use. Custom manufactured for XG Power Wholesale Warehouse by Linhai Yamaha so you can rest assured that there will be power when you need it. Includes a 12-volt DC output jack and cables can be used to run equipment or recharge batteries. Six-month Limited Warranty on parts.
Generator Specifications:
Type: Brushless AVR - Single Phase,
AC Frequency: 60 HZ,
Maximum AC Output: 950 Watts,
Rated AC Output: 800 Watts,
Rated / Maximum AC Current: 7.3amps @110 volts,
Driving Method: Direct,
One 110 volt AC outlet and one 12 volt DC outlet,
Dry Weight: 49lbs (22.5kgs),
Package size: 16 x 13.5 x 13 inches (41 x 34 x 33 cm),
Noise Level: 65 dBa,
Engine specifications:
Type: 2-Stroke, Air Cooled,
Fuel / oil mix: 50:50,
Displacement: 63cc,
Starting Method: Recoil,
Fuel Tank Capacity: 1.1 gal (4 Litres),
Recommended Fuel: Unleaded Regular

Price:

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Plumber: Standby generators a viable alternative - Evansville Courier & Press

Q: I'm an older gentleman living in Florida, and recently I read one of your columns on permanently installed automatic generators now available for home use. I have special-need medical equipment that I operate most of the day, and friends and family have suggested I get a generator. But, I'm in no condition to move around and keep a portable generator going. How do these automatic generators operate? Can you give me a quick lesson on the generator system itself? -- Fred

A: Aside from buying a standard portable generator that runs on gasoline, there are permanently installed standby generators that run on natural or propane gas and are now available for residential use. When I mentioned this a few weeks back in one of my articles, I received many letters like yours asking how a standby-generator system actually works.

First off, a standby-generator system is just like the name states: it's a generator that's in constant standby mode until called upon to provide backup electrical power when the lights go out. Secondly, it's not actually a new idea -- places like hospitals and hotels have been using these systems for decades. What is new is that technology and pricing have made residential standby generators affordable to many homeowners in need of backup electrical power.

How can these generator systems work automatically? Well, for one thing, natural and propane gases are self-feeding fuels, so there is no need to keep filling generators up with liquids. Also, as long as you have a steady supply of natural or propane gas, the generator can run automatically for days at a time.

But the real brains behind the system lie in something called the automatic transfer switch, or intelligent transfer switch. The transfer switch is installed by a licensed professional electrician to a home's electrical panel. The switch constantly monitors utility power coming into the house, and within seconds of any power outage, it automatically starts the generator and transfers power from the utility to the generator. When utility power is restored, the transfer switch shuts down the standby generator system and returns the power demand back to the utility grid. Now that's a pretty smart switch!

Many contractors are now building new homes that are called generator-ready, meaning that the electrical panel is already set up to accept a transfer switch in the event a homeowner wants to add a standby-generator system down the road. This can save a good amount of money when the generator is installed later.

Remember: This is by no means a technical explanation -- I'm just giving you a basic outline on how a standard standby generator operates. It's not a do-it-yourself job, either. Licensed contractors, pipe fitters and electricians need to be called in to do this job, and permits need to be pulled.

Finally, even though costs have come down significantly, a standby generator can still be considered a high-end job, but an affordable one for many applications. Just keep in mind that the final "charge" of the job can be well worth every penny, when a long power outage occurs.

(Master Contractor/Plumber Ed Del Grande is known internationally as the author of the book "Ed Del Grande's House Call" and for hosting TV shows on Scripps Networks and HGTVPro.com. For more information, visit eddelgrande.com or write eddelgrande(at)hgtvpro.com. Always consult local contractors and codes.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)

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