[ RadSafe ] Anti- ?

Tue Apr 17 16:35:28 CDT 2007

I think the issue... with the anti-nukes trying to kill yucca Mtn. and
delay safe handling of spent fuel, is the dry fuel casks positioned
behind a lot of power sites today. I see that Big Rock still has their
fuel sittin up there even though the place is officially decommissioned.
California still has a law not allowing new nuke plant construction
until a viable fuel disposal site it built. If the dry cask, which
certainly can be handled with heavy equipment could be taken or moved
and enough explosive used on it, it would make a marvelous dirty bomb
placed in a strategic area. Likewise, if the right missle or explosive
devise was used on the dry casked loaded with spent fuel load, was
penetrated or exploded to the point of vaporization for example(use of
HE for example, from this former Corps of Engineers demolition trained
officer), and I suppose terrorists have access to HE, it could make
quite a weapon and contaminate a whole county, or city such as Indian
point scenario or plants around Chicago. A fuel pool scenario is not
that far removed also if the right explosives and tactics are used. Fuel
pools aren't exactly fort Knox....Its kinda like a train car tanker
loaded with LP.  No one is going to mess with the contents and remove
them, but it the right penetrating or explosive device is used on it, in
a populated area, it is a nightmare. And we certainly have not done
enough in the US to mitigate this threat. 

W. G. (Ward) Brunkow
Sr. Radiological Engineer
WIPP

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Flanigan, Floyd
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 2:21 PM
To: Ed Hiserodt; Earley, Jack N; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Anti- ?

I'm still trying to figure out why we are worried about terrorists
stealing spent fuel. Unless they have a complete fuel transfer system
set up just like the one we use to load the dry casks, they have no hope
of ever getting the fuel out of the casks anyway. If they tried to open
the casks without having several yards of borated water between them and
the fuel, they wouldn't live long enough to unload the thing. The
logistics involved are enough to make it a completely in-feasible
evolution for anyone without their own fuel transfer system replete with
60 foot deep fuel pool, fuel transfer system, crane support, residual
heat removal system etc. Then what the heck would they do with the fuel?
Putting it in a "dirty bomb" is a bone-headed proposition since no one
could live long enough to build the thing in the radiological conditions
they would create by removing the fuel from the cask to put it in the
bomb. Then ... if they managed that, there would be no way to deliver
the device anywhere. They would have to have a new driver for the thing
every 2 miles to replace the dead one behind the wheel ... hey ... wait
a minute ... this could be an easy way to get rid of hundreds ... maybe
thousands of the terrorists ... Kind'a like chasing lemmings off a cliff
.... one dead terrorist driver from exposure to spent fuel assemblies
every two miles .... How far is it from New York to Los Angeles ...?
:-)

Floyd W.Flanigan B.S.Nuc.H.P.
Sr. Analyst

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf Of Ed Hiserodt
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 2:47 PM
To: 'Earley, Jack N'; radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: RE: [ RadSafe ] Anti- ?

Can't you just see the terrorists riding off into the Nevada desert with
spent fuel assemblies tied to their camel saddlebags on the way to a
secret
reprocessing plant where they can chemically separate the
Pu240-contaminated
Pu239 to make dud bombs.  Or maybe they'll use an IED to blow up spent
fuel
containers designed to withstand a collision with a freight train.

Mixing diesel fuel with ammonium nitrate or strapping explosives to
children
and sending them into a crowded store is so much easier.

Ed Hiserodt

-----Original Message-----
From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
Behalf
Of Earley, Jack N
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 1:12 PM
To: radsafe at radlab.nl
Subject: [ RadSafe ] Anti- ?

And you thought Floyd's comments were politically incorrect . . . ?

"I am told by FBI and others that some of the information about nuclear
waste shipments have appeared on many Arab and other terrorist-type Web
sites" said Bob Loux, executive director of Nevada's Agency for Nuclear
Projects, speaking to the Sparks NV city council on Monday (AP
newswire)."

Jack Earley
Health Physicist
509.372.9532

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