RE: Why a "pig"?

["Westergard, Lee" <westergard_lj@nns.com>]

If I recall correctly, SCRAM came from the early reactor shutdown
mechanisms. (Was it Fermi?) The shutdown operators were stationed at the
control rod lifting mechanisms which were simply ropes attached to the
rods. When the word came over to drop the rods, they would take axes and
chop the ropes to shutdown the reactor. After they chopped the ropes,
they were told to SCRAM out of the area.  At least that is the story I
was told. 

> ----------
> From: 	Bob Carlson[SMTP:carlson@en.com]
> Sent: 	Wednesday, October 01, 1997 5:59 PM
> To: 	Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: 	Re: Why a "pig"?
> 
> Al Castellane wrote:
> > 
> > I was recently asked by a lab tech why we call lead storage
> containers "pigs"?
> > I honestly didn't know. Does anyone know, as Paul Harvey says "the
> rest of the
> > story?"
> > 
> > Thanks in advance for the insight.
> > 
> > Al Castellane
> > Oregon Health Sciences University
> > Portland, Or
> > castella@ohsu.edu
> 
> 
> Because being part of the Nuke-Lee-Are family we all started out on
> the
> farm!  We think of nuclear cross sections in terms of Barns, we "milk"
> technitium generators (Even the high-yield ones from Mallinckrodt are
> called "Killer Cows").  And cooling on the kitchen windowsill is the
> Cutie-Pie ion chamber!
> 
> The real reason?  As usual I am clueless except to think that most
> everyone can relate to the farm.  Farms and cows ar funny, just ask
> Gary
> Larson!!!
> 
> And just to further cause thought, what is the real meaning of SCRAM? 
> Hmmmmmmm???????????
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