Chinese nuclear plant likely leaking near 126 million people; disaster possible; US investigating re

[Elderberry]

American Military News by  Ryan Morgan 6/14/2021

On Monday a French nuclear company, Framatome, announced it is supporting efforts to resolve a “performance issue” with its Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in China’s heavily populated Guangdong Province, raising concerns about a potential nuclear leak.

The nuclear plant is located in Guangdong, which according to Chinese census estimates for 2020, has an estimated population of about 126 million people. The plant is also located about 84 miles from Hong Kong.

CNN reported, citing U.S. officials and Department of Energy documents it reviewed, that the U.S. government has been assessing a reported leak at the nuclear plant for the last week. Those documents, obtained by CNN, warned of a potential “imminent radiological threat” at the power plant.

A letter sent from the French company to the Department of Energy (DOE) and obtained by CNN warned Chinese safety regulators were reportedly raising the acceptable limits for radiation detection in the area surrounding the power plant, in an effort to avoid having to shut the plant down.

More: https://americanmilitarynews.com/2021/06/chinese-nuclear-plant-likely-leaking-near-126-million-people-disaster-possible-us-investigating-reports-say/

[Sled Dog]

A letter sent from the French company to the Department of Energy (DOE) and obtained by CNN warned Chinese safety regulators were reportedly raising the acceptable limits for radiation detection in the area surrounding the power plant, in an effort to avoid having to shut the plant down.

Communism = Fascism.

The Chinese are using the Mussolini Method of Reactor Safety.

Mussolini promised to make the Italian trains run on time.

And he did.

He ordered that "on-time" be redefined to a broader level of lateness, and voila!  the trains were now on time.

I believe the people of Denmark also had a novel means of reducing child-molestation crimes by 75% or more.   They reduced the age of consent to 14.   This may be an apocryphal tale, though.   I read it in the National Review, and we all know how reliable that rag has become, and it was a long time ago.

But, anyway, the Chinese can't export this virus, thankfully.   And the more Chinese that die because of their incompetent government, the better.   If they won't get pissed off at being slaves, they're not needed on the world stage.

[Elderberry]

Issues at China Nuclear Plant Point to Long-Term Concerns: Experts

Radio Free Asia

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/nuclear-concerns-06162021082525.html

China is applying its own safety protocols to imported nuclear technology despite safety concerns from the manufacturer, according to a Hong Kong-based engineer.

Reports of a potential radioactive leak at a French-built nuclear reactor at Taishan in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong point to longer-term safety concerns, but aren't a cause for immediate alarm, experts told RFA.

The Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, operated by China General Nuclear (CGN) and joint-venture partner Framatome, controlled by EDF, has moved to reassure the public after CNN reported on Monday that the U.S. government had spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at the plant.

Framatome and EDF are working with experts to propose solutions to "any potential issue" after a build-up of noble, or inert, gases inside one of the reactors, but said the plant is operating within safety parameters.

EDF said the build-up of noble gases had affected the primary circuit of Unit 1 of the Taishan plant, was a "known phenomenon, studied and provided for in the reactor operating procedures."

Li Min, dean of the Institute of Atomic Sciences at Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University, said the leakage of inert gases from nuclear power plants suggests defective fuel rod sheaths.

"I don't think there is any need to panic at all," Li told RFA. "There is really no need to panic because the amounts of inert gas that leak [in this situation] is always very small."

"It really isn't that serious," he said.

But he said it was possible that Framatome had written to the U.S. Department of Energy about the issue, as reported by CNN on Monday, because it would need U.S. approval for the use of certain technologies to locate any defective fuel rods.

[mountaineer]

This just in: China is still asshoe.

[libertybele]

This just in: China is still asshoe.

      

[Smokin Joe]

Leakage of inert gasses is 'not a problem', he says, which might be weasel words ducking the effects of other radionuclides leaking from the site. 

[Free Vulcan]

With 1.5B people, China considered the lives of 126M a rounding error.

[Ghost Bear]

I wonder if the build up of inert gases is referring to Xenon-135 poisoning, which is a problem but not a danger if the operators are aware of it. However, if anything is leaking into the atmosphere it is a problem, since whatever is leaking is probably radioactive. Notice they don't address the level of radioactivity in the area around the plant.

[PeteS in CA]

Nearly 10% of the population is not trivial, nor are the major economic centers of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macau.

[Elderberry]

EDF examines gas build-up at Chinese nuclear plant

Reuters 6/14/2021

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-cgn-says-nuclear-station-meets-safety-rules-amid-reports-leak-2021-06-14/

French power group EDF (EDF.PA) has begun examination of a potential issue linked to a build-up of inert gases at its nuclear power station in China, though the company and its Chinese partner said the plant was operating safely.

EDF said the build-up of noble gases krypton and xenon, which it said had affected the primary circuit of reactor No.1 of the Taishan plant, was a "known phenomenon, studied and provided for in the reactor operating procedures".

A group spokesman said this could be because of an issue with fuel rods and seals. Measurements of inert gases were below maximum levels authorised in China, the spokesman said, adding that it was too early to say whether the reactor would have to be shut down.

Krypton and xenon do not tend to react with other substances but they do have radioactive qualities and are therefore subject to constant monitoring.

"Regular monitoring data shows the Taishan station and its surrounding environment meet normal parameters," it said in a statement on its website late on Sunday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. atomic watchdog, said: "At this stage, the agency has no indication that a radiological incident occurred," and that it was in contact with officials in China about the issue.

[Cyber Liberty]

Leakage of inert gasses is 'not a problem', he says, which might be weasel words ducking the effects of other radionuclides leaking from the site. 

I would remind that fellow that Radon is also an "inert gas."

[sneakypete]

You call it a leak,the Chinese Government calls it "population control".

[Elderberry]

It's safe to leave your bunker: Blame that Chinese nuclear plant alarm on fuel rod faults

The Register by Iain Thomson 6/15/2021

Meltdown over a non-meltdown

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/15/taishan_china_nuclear_plant_fuel_rods/

Framatome wrote to the US government's Dept of Energy to request permission to access American technical data and resources to help tackle the issue. It was further claimed by the biz that Chinese regulators were increasing the limit on the amount of gas that could be released from the coolant circuit, exceeding French safety standards, to avoid shutting down the plant.

Word of this memo sparked fears of a nuclear disaster being covered up by Beijing. However, the truth is less terrifying.

EDF said the build up of inert gases – understood to be xenon and krypton – was due to a fault with one or more of the fuel rods and their seals. These gases were collected, treated, and released in "accordance with regulations," the power giant added.

As the uranium in the reactor's fuel rods is hit by neutrons and undergoes fission, it splits into smaller elements, including the radioactive isotopes of iodine, krypton, and xenon. Small amounts of these fission fragments are expected to leak, though if the fuel containers are pierced, ruptured, or have some other defects, more material will be released into the coolant loop. This is where the aforementioned gas buildup came from: radioactive fission byproducts escaping from the fuel into the primary coolant circuit. This gas had to be removed from the coolant, and the fuel responsible for the leaks will need to be addressed eventually.

Damage to fuel rods is not unheard of. A US government report from last year stated that, for pressurized water reactors, there are 1.6 leaking fuel rods per failed fuel assembly on average worldwide between 1994 and 2004. Each assembly, we note, typically contains between 170 and 230 rods, and up to 65 per cent of fuel failures in the US were caused by grid-to-rod fretting.

"For pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which are the most common reactor type in the US as well as the type of reactor at the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, the biggest causes of fuel leaks are debris and grid-to-rod fretting, which occurs when a nuclear fuel rod rubs against the metal spacer grids that hold the rods in place," Katie Mummah, a nuclear engineering PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told The Register.

[GtHawk]

A group spokesman said this could be because of an issue with fuel rods and seals. Measurements of inert gases were below maximum levels authorised in China, the spokesman said, adding that it was too early to say whether the reactor would have to be shut down.

But how do they measure up to what industry standards are?

[Elderberry]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57474384

EDF said there was a build up of noble gases in part of the cooling system of the plant's number one reactor. The gases were collected and treated before being released into the atmosphere in "accordance with regulations".

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced it has "no indication that a radiological incident occurred".

Sources told CNN that the Biden administration had discussed the situation with the Department of Energy's experts and the French government. However the facility was not believed to be at a "crisis level" yet.

[jafo2010]

126 million people in China are completely expendable to the CCP.