The nuclear subs that are being cut up
Discussion
k being the diver who has to go into those pools!T66ORA said:
Served on "bombers" from 84 to 88 Repulse (stbd) mainly including the Roysth refit, also did a patrol on Renown in 85.
I've had this on the laptop for a couple of years so don`t know if the boats are in the same position in a Rosyth basin?
2.5 years on Renown for me, 92-94, they were comfortable boats compared with the earlier SSNs. The boats in the basin at Rosyth are docked every 5 years or so to survey the hulls and to replace the sacrificial anodes. The US Navy, dismantle their old boats, the reactor compartments are buried in the wilderness somewhere in NorthWest USA, in fact its Hanford, Oregon.I've had this on the laptop for a couple of years so don`t know if the boats are in the same position in a Rosyth basin?
http://www.oregon.gov/energy/nucsaf/docs/naval_nuc...
More here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site
That's quite a site! Also amusing that over here we fret about a few hectares here or there, in the big ole US of A, it's a mere 586 square miles!
That's quite a site! Also amusing that over here we fret about a few hectares here or there, in the big ole US of A, it's a mere 586 square miles!
shouldbworking said:
A quick bit of googling about the US ship and submarine recycling program suggests they don't do anything particularly clever with theirs either - remove the radioactive material, dump it in a spent fuel pool, recycle the rest.
And on that topic, an interesting 'What If?' article from xkcd on spent fuel pools. It shows just how low tech these things can be - you might recall that in the aftermath of Fukushima that they were concerned about possible leaks in the fuel pool and topped them up via the method of dumping a load of water from helicopter, through a hole in the roof..
http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/
Water's the most freely-available radiation shield on the planet. THORP over at Sellafield has a very large swimming pool full of fuel flasks, the water both shields and cools the flasks. However, ionising water (that is, exposing it to ionising radiation) creates 'free radicals', so if you're having trouble sleeping...And on that topic, an interesting 'What If?' article from xkcd on spent fuel pools. It shows just how low tech these things can be - you might recall that in the aftermath of Fukushima that they were concerned about possible leaks in the fuel pool and topped them up via the method of dumping a load of water from helicopter, through a hole in the roof..
http://what-if.xkcd.com/29/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_(chemistry)
Nobody has ever confirmed to me if the water pumped out to sea from THORP et al contains free radicals and if so, what the potential long-term effects might be of introducing them willy-nilly to the earth's water system
Wedg1e said:
Nobody has ever confirmed to me if the water pumped out to sea from THORP et al contains free radicals and if so, what the potential long-term effects might be of introducing them willy-nilly to the earth's water system
Given that the radicals created are unstable most of them are going to quickly react with the nearest willing partner, i.e. the one they've just been separated from. OH will seek H and not much will keep them apart. In any case they don't just pull the plug and let it run out, as there's other stuff in the pool water to suppress corrosion, stop algae growth etc.hidetheelephants said:
Given that the radicals created are unstable most of them are going to quickly react with the nearest willing partner, i.e. the one they've just been separated from. OH will seek H and not much will keep them apart. In any case they don't just pull the plug and let it run out, as there's other stuff in the pool water to suppress corrosion, stop algae growth etc.
Fair point(s) 
chemistry was never my best subject 
Of course the nuclear industry never makes mistakes
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