RE: Ruth and Jim thanks for info on criticality accident

["Neil, David M" <neildm@ID.DOE.GOV>]

Title: Ruth and Jim thanks for info on criticality accident

I might also point out that there is a course on criticality safety that involves this report and others, that may be worth your attention.

 

It's typically held at the University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque, and lasts a week.  If I recall correctly, Tom McLaughlin presented that section himself when I went.

 

If anyone is interested, Adolf Garcia here at INEEL is one of the major players in it [ mailto:garciaas@id.doe.gov ]

 

I don't recall if there are any specific prerequisites, but a clearance or US citezenship were not required at the time. (9/11 could have affected that, but not that I've heard about.)

 

Dave Neil

neildm@id.doe.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul lavely [mailto:lavelyp@UCLINK4.BERKELEY.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 4:48 PM
To: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Cc: RuthWeiner@AOL.COM; jim_hoerner@HOTMAIL.COM
Subject: Ruth and Jim thanks for info on criticality accident

I wish to thank Ruth Weiner and Jim Hoerner for pointing me/us to the excellent paper "A Review of Criticality Accidents" by Thomas P. McLaughlin (and others).

This LANL publication (la-13638 ) was virtually impossible to put down. This paper is about 140 pages and is not a mass (or is that mess?) of technical data and cold facts. I could virtually "see" some of these events unfolding and the aftermath. It is well written, well researched, well illustrated, well documented, and provides insights that I had never seen before. I wish that all the "technical" papers I read were as well researched and present information as well as this one does. We are in Mr. McLaughlin's debt.

I am sure that the oral presentation by Mr. McLaughlin was just as good and I wish I had been able to be there to hear it.

We owe Ruth and Jim thanks for pointing us to the report and to Mr. McLaughlin for providing us this review.

The paper can be found at

http://www.csirc.net/10_Library/00_Reports/13638/la-13638.pdf

(at 3.8 MB it may take a while for some to download, but it is well worth the time and effort)

If you want it, get it before someone decides to unnecessarily remove it from the website.

Paul Lavely <lavelyp@uclink4.berkeley.edu>

Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.  wrote: I heard an after-dinner talk Friday the subject of which I thougt might be of itnrest to RADSAFERs.  The talk was by Tom Laughlin (sp?), who has published (with others) a LANL report on criticality accidents.  

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