Re: Russia: RBMK design and Religion.

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 17:51 17.01.2000 -0600, you wrote:

>In a message dated 1/17/00 10:00:31 Pacific Standard Time, schoenho@via.at 
>writes:
>
>
>Who knew??? that RBMK had "bad" design or behavior.

The "wrong" temperature coefficient was well known and in combination with
the "channel" design which makes a very large core this makes it especially
in certain situations (low power) difficult to keep the reactor stable. I
am not an expert, but I have it from collegues who obviously know a little
about power reactors. The question of the "missing" or rather not foreseen
containment is well known.




>I do not see what an Islamic republic has to do with nuclear export 
>restrictions.

My reasoning is not directed toward the religion and its discrimination
itself, which is - as you correctly point out - illegal in any civilized
country, of which the US is one...., but to the political implications of
fundamentalist Islamic politics. Russia faces so many problems with Islamic
fundamentalists on its territory and movements of parts of their "empire"
to leave Russia or Russian control. It cannot be in their interest to
theoretically enable a country which more or less openly supports
fundamentalist Islamic movements to produce weapons grade plutonium. On the
other hand building a non-RBMK power plant is good business. You can sell
your opponent a small knife to cut bread to make money, but you would not
sell him a sword. 

Franz


Franz Schoenhofer
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Vienna
Austria
Tel.: +43-1-495 53 08
Fax.: same number
mobile phone: +43-664-338 0 333
e-mail: schoenho@via.at

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