Re: Re: TMI The Root Cause

[Bob Flood <bflood@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>]

At 06:15 PM 3/10/98 -0600, you wrote:
>The only issue I have with the entire discussion is the 
>terminology used...   The condensate system and 
>relief valves were symptoms of the situation. While they were the 
>initiating events, they were not the root cause.

I agree with Sandy. Sometime before the TMI-2 event (I forget how long),
the same sequence of initiating events occurred at another B&W plant
(Perry, I think), up to and including the PORV sticking open. They realized
the PORV was open, closed it manually, and are forever denied the spotlight
that has fallen on TMI all these years.

Like the Titanic, the Challenger, etc, no device made by man is so good
that it will overcome man's own creative stupidity.


---------
Bob Flood
Dosimetry Group Leader
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
(650) 926-3793
bflood@slac.stanford.edu