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RE: Chapelcross reactor



Thanks so much Rachel for setting me straight on this.

 Calder Hall....that was where Q. Elizabeth dedicated

the world's first operating nuclear power station in

the early 1950s..correct?  I was fortunate to visit

Berkeley in the 1960s, but never went to Calder Hall

or Chapelcross.  Isn't Calder Hall located near the

old Windscale plants?  Am I  correct in saying that

the Berkeley units were MAGNOX graphite moderated CO2

cooled reactors?  Were the Berkeley units the same

design as Calder Hall and Chapelcross?

Why did the CEGB decide to shut down Berkeley and not

Calder Hall and/or Chapelcross (I remember them saying

that the MAGNOXs were going to close about the same

time as we shutdown LaCrosse?



Thank you,



Paul W. Shafer-- RACHEL WALKER

<Walker@world-nuclear.org> wrote:

> Just for clarification, Chapelcross is a Magnox

> reactor.  The other effected

> plant is Calder Hall, Cumbria UK which has a similar

> refuelling system and

> as a precautionary measure refuelling has been

> temporarily suspended.

> 

> Berkeley is actually undergoing extensive

> decommissioning at present and is

> therefore not affected.

> 

> Rachel Walker

> 

> PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW CONTACT DATA

> 

> Dr Rachel Walker

> Research Officer

> World Nuclear Association

> Twelfth Floor, Bowater House West

> 114 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7LJ,UK

> 

> Tel:        +44 (0) 20 7225 0303

> Fax:       +44 (0) 20 7225 0308

> Email:     Walker@world-nuclear.org

> website:  http://www.world-nuclear.org

> 

> 

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Paul William Shafer

> [mailto:paulwilliam_s@YAHOO.COM]

> Sent: 10 July 2001 02:05

> To: glen.vickers@EXELONCORP.COM;

> radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

> Subject: Chapelcross reactor 

> 

> 

> It seems to me that Chapelcross is a MAGNOX graphite

> CO2 cooled reactor like the ones at Berkeley, UK

> which

> have been operating since 1957. (So Berkeley may be

> the other power station that is affected by this

> incident). Magnesium canned oxide fuel may explain

> why

> CO2 was sprayed over the spent fuel to prevent a

> fire

> from occuring.

> 

> But I may be wrong...the particular reactor

> mentioned

> may be an AGR (advanced gas reactor) using graphite

> as

> the moderator but helium as the coolant and I

> believe

> the fuel is clad with Zr alloy tubes.

> 

> All of these reactors can refuel on-line with a

> shielded fuel unload and reload machine that

> tranverses the top of the reactor and then with the

> extension arm follow the fuel channel into the

> graphite moderator at the top of the core and latch

> on

> to the active fuel and remove it.

> 

> After removal a new fuel assembly can be placed into

> the vacated fuel channel within the graphite

> moderator.

> 

> Paul Shafer

> 

> --- glen.vickers@EXELONCORP.COM wrote:

> > What type of reactor is this?  It doesn't sound

> like

> > a PWR or BWR.  HTGR?

> > 

> > Glen Vickers

> > glen.vickers@exeloncorp.com

> > 

> > > -----Original Message-----

> > > From:	Susan Gawarecki [SMTP:loc@ICX.NET]

> > > Sent:	Monday, July 09, 2001 2:48 PM

> > > To:	RADSAFE

> > > Subject:	OOPS!

> > > 

> > > Britain Nuclear Accident Probed

> > > 

> > > LONDON (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation  - 

> > > Spent fuel rods were accidentally dropped onto

> the

> > reactor floor of a

> > > nuclear power plant in Scotland last week, its

> > operator said Sunday.

> > > 

> > > British Nuclear Fuels stressed that the

> > ``low-level'' incident during

> > > refueling Thursday in Chapelcross plant's

> Reactor

> > No. 3 posed minimal

> > > danger.

> > > 

> > > The reactor has been shut down while the company

> > determines how to

> > > retrieve the 24 uranium rods, a spokesman said.

> > > 

> > > The government's watchdog agency, the Nuclear

> > Installations

> > > Inspectorate, has launched an investigation.

> > > 

> > > The BNFL spokesman said the rods dropped about 2

> > feet to the floor

> > > during the remote-operated refueling operation.

> > > 

> > > A large cylindrical basket holding the

> irradiated

> > fuel elements appeared

> > > to come loose as it was being lowered to a

> cooling

> > pond, he said.

> > > 

> > > Emergency workers were called in and carbon

> > dioxide was sprayed

> > > over the basket to ensure it did not catch fire.

> > > 

> > > ``At no time was there any increase in radiation

> > within the area and no

> > > personnel were affected,'' he said. ``There is

> > also no indication that

> > > the fuel has been damaged.''

> > > 

> > > Refueling has been suspended at all reactors in

> > Chapelcross, just a few

> > > miles from Scotland's border with England, and

> at

> > another British plant

> > > that uses an identical system.

> > > 

> > > The spokesman said it was unclear how long it

> > would take to recover the

> > > rods and complete the refueling.

> > > -- 

> > >

> >

>

.....................................................

> > > Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director

> > > Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee

> > >                        -----                    

>  

> > 

> > > A schedule of meetings on DOE issues is posted

> on

> > our Web site

> > > http://www.local-oversight.org/meetings.html -

> > E-mail loc@icx.net

> > >

> >

>

.....................................................

> > >

> >

>

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