Re: was Mobile Chernobyl

[William V Lipton <liptonw@DTEENERGY.COM>]

It's the fission products that cause the problem with spent fuel.  The slightly

enriched uranium is new fuel is not very hazardous.



A few years, ago, a new fuel shipment to Vermont Yankee got hit head on by a

drunk driver going the wrong way on I91, in the middle of downtown Springfield,

MA.  The utility has an interesting video tape of this.  Initially, only the cab

was on fire.  This fire could have been easily extinguished.  Unfortunately, the

emergency response crews followed the 49 CFR 172, Subpart G instructions, which

told them to keep away.  This allowed the fire to engulf the entire shipment.

The fuel was in the GE, "blue boxes," which consist of an outer wooden box which

holds two inner metal boxes, each holding one fuel bundle.  This is a type A

package, NOT designed to survive an accident.  Nevertheless, there was no

release of radioactive material.



The opinions expressed are strictly mine.

It's not about dose, it's about trust.

Curies forever.



Bill Lipton

liptonw@dteenergy.com





"Westerdale, Bob" wrote:



> Perhaps the answer to this is obvious to most of you,  but I am wondering

> why

> all the fuss is being made over spent fuel, as opposed to 'brand new fresh

> from the manufacturer' fuel rods?  I understand that the spent ones will

> contain some nasty fission byproducts,  but is there actually a significant

> difference in chances of a release

> from a new fuel shipment as opposed to a spent fuel shipment?  I've not

> heard a single

> comparison of these two shipment events....

> Any thoughts?

> Bob Westerdale

> EDAX, Inc.

>

> Ted Wrote----

> The fact is that a spent fuel cask being shipped has already been cooled for

> several years and is virtually incapable of creating any public hazard.  The

> cask itself is nearly indestructible and requires special military ordnance

> to penetrate it.  Even if that were to happen, a few fuel pellets on the

> ground nearby poses no serious public hazard IF PEOPLE HAVE NOT BEEN

> PREVIOUSLY TRAUMATIZED BY BEING TOLD REPEATEDLY THAT SUCH AN EVENT WILL KILL

> "TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE."  There is no mechanism to disperse

> significant quantities of ingestible or respirable fps.

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