Selafield, an inside look

Selafield, an inside look

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Discussion

jmorgan

Original Poster:

36,010 posts

283 months

Tuesday 11th August 2015
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On catchup but was on BBC4 yesterday.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b065x080

Interesting including How to store a used reactor in something resembling an ikea box set after it has been chopped up.

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Tuesday 11th August 2015
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A pretty dull programme, I thought. Lots of stock footage of history, missed the really important questions almost entirely and made it all fairly mundane. I expected better.

jmorgan

Original Poster:

36,010 posts

283 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
quotequote all
Well, I found it interesting.

GnuBee

1,272 posts

214 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
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What were the really important questions he/they missed? If anything it focused perhaps a bit too much on the waste aspect (but then given it's primary role perhaps not that surprising).

It would have been nice to see more "detail" but then it was made quite clear there were restrictions on what could and what could not be filmed.

It was also specifically about Selafield as opposed to nuclear power so not discussion competing technologies, discussing fusion etc which are all much broader in context did seem appropriate.

Morningside

24,110 posts

228 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
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Brilliant. Seen it before but I love things like this, mainly because dad used to work at Sizewell.
There used to be a lot of these science programmes like this back in the 1980s before the Celeb crap took over.

tapkaJohnD

1,930 posts

203 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
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The most important point was left until last.
Safety and ideas about decommissioning were totally ignored in the 60s and 70s. That's why there are the 'cooling' ponds, and those blocks of concrete full of radioactive chopped-up reactor. We were assured that it's different now - I do hope it is, but we still have the problem of those leaking cooling ponds.

The most interesting point Al-Kalili said was that we could irradiate radioactive parts with neutrons, causing the isotopes dangerous for thousands of years to transmute into elements with a shorter half life. He should know, he's a nuclear physicist, but not an engineer so is this practical?

The most frustrating point was about THORP, the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant at Sellafield. Built at enormous cost, and still unique in the world, it was supposed to be able to recover usable nuclear fuel from spent rods. Offering that as a service to the World was supposed to make the UK's fortune AND reduce the amount of dangerous waste. We were shown THORP in action but told nothing of its present status in those respects.

John

GnuBee

1,272 posts

214 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
quotequote all
Hmm - I obviously watched a different, unedited version of the programme then. With the exception of delving into the current operational/political/financial status of THORP I thought all the other points were covered...

Zad

12,695 posts

235 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
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There is always going to be a limit as to how much you can say in an hour, especially given that you need to do some background explanation. Nuclear stuff still scares the crap out of me though, I have to admit.

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Wednesday 12th August 2015
quotequote all
GnuBee said:
What were the really important questions he/they missed? If anything it focused perhaps a bit too much on the waste aspect (but then given it's primary role perhaps not that surprising).

It would have been nice to see more "detail" but then it was made quite clear there were restrictions on what could and what could not be filmed.

It was also specifically about Selafield as opposed to nuclear power so not discussion competing technologies, discussing fusion etc which are all much broader in context did seem appropriate.
What to do with the plutonium stock pile? Keep it where it is, expensive, with a degree of hazard from theft or contamination. Leave it for future generations.

Bury it deep underground, very expensive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_geological_repo...

Or convert it into reactor fuel. There is a lot of energy in plutonium. MOX fuels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOX_fuel

No mention of the really smart autonomous robotics.

Otispunkmeyer

12,558 posts

154 months

Friday 14th August 2015
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They are extracting the Plutonium to put into MOX fuels

This video is a nice little addition to the program (which was a bit simpleton really) from Nottingham University. They went up to Sellafield and were filming in the NNL while a bloke who worked there explained and demonstrated how they extract Plutonium with solvent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89UNPdNtOoE

Brigand

2,544 posts

168 months

Saturday 15th August 2015
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I found the show very interesting, but it did leave me with a few questions that I'd have liked them to have answered. It went into some good detail, but then glossed over a few other points I found. Enjoyable though.

Zad

12,695 posts

235 months

Saturday 15th August 2015
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I thought initially that it was the first programme in a series. It certainly had that feel to it. I think there is a need for something like that, perhaps on BBC4, but I guess there is only so much that Sellafield will allow.

llewop

3,585 posts

210 months

Sunday 16th August 2015
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Brigand said:
I found the show very interesting, but it did leave me with a few questions that I'd have liked them to have answered. It went into some good detail, but then glossed over a few other points I found. Enjoyable though.
such as? There may be someone within PH who can answer, or provide more information. There does seem to be quite a few with a finger or more in the nuclear industry!

unclemark123

878 posts

207 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
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I have been in nuclear for quite a few years. Firstly generation, and then decommissioning.

As mentioned, getting rid of the waste and taking these places apart was almost an afterthought years ago. Its all very well generating all this so called low carbon electricity, but the effort that goes into decommissioning and cleaning up is immense. And to top it all off we do not have any permanent long term storage facility available for all of the waste!!!

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Tuesday 18th August 2015
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unclemark123 said:
I have been in nuclear for quite a few years. Firstly generation, and then decommissioning.

As mentioned, getting rid of the waste and taking these places apart was almost an afterthought years ago. Its all very well generating all this so called low carbon electricity, but the effort that goes into decommissioning and cleaning up is immense. And to top it all off we do not have any permanent long term storage facility available for all of the waste!!!
Its certainly true long term cleanup wasn't seriously considered in the 50s & 60s, so nasty stuff was tossed around with gay abandon and limited record keeping. The cost of safe cleanup is immense, estimates ranging from 53 billion to 200+ and anywhere from 80 to 150 years duration.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/ul...

As I live close to Sellafield, their antics are always interestingsmile

unclemark123

878 posts

207 months

Wednesday 19th August 2015
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eldar said:
As I live close to Sellafield, their antics are always interestingsmile
I have spent most my time at Hikley A, B & C, and yes, although I cannot speak openly here about alot of things I have witnessed, their antics are most certainly interesting. I have witnessed some rather dubious practices over the years.

AMG Merc

11,954 posts

252 months

Wednesday 19th August 2015
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jmorgan said:
Well, I found it interesting.
yes +1

AMG Merc

11,954 posts

252 months

Wednesday 19th August 2015
quotequote all
unclemark123 said:
I have spent most my time at Hikley A, B & C, and yes, although I cannot speak openly here about alot of things I have witnessed, their antics are most certainly interesting. I have witnessed some rather dubious practices over the years.
Somewhat concerning yikes