Tuesday, March 4, 2014

WSJ: 'Transformers Expose Limits in Securing Power Grid'


By Rebecca Smith (2014, March 4) The Wall Street Journal, A1, A8:

"The US electric grid could take months to recover from a physical attack due to the difficulty in replacing one of its most critical components. The glue that holds the grid together is a network of transformers...."

Majia here: The transformers weigh up to 800,000 pounds and are very challenging to move long distances. Moreover, only a few companies actually build them in the US and their production can take more than a year.

Solar flares could take down grids and transformers. See the National Geographic account here.

Our complex and interdependent society would experience significant failures in the event of a massive and sustained power outage.

These failures might be survivable if it were not for nuclear power plants.

In this video, nuclear engineers Mr Arnie Gunderson and David Lochbaum discuss how vulnerable nuclear power plants are to electrical disruptions. Their analysis even addresses the many vulnerabilities of the "back-up" generators

A scenario of prolonged power outages would very likely lead to nuclear meltdowns and spent fuel pool fires. This is not a survivable scenario for human civilization.

Nuclear 'energy' and waste make our entire species vulnerable to sudden extinction.



9 comments:

  1. Thank you for teaching me a word that is new to me (genotoxic).

    How about at least some wind/solar backup power generation?
    Not willing to spend a little comparatively to save not only their facilities, yet also those living nearby and downwind?

    No?

    Punctually suspend their licenses, period (exclamation mark)!
    If that will not be done, then we are truly led by those with the mindsets of children.

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  2. Greedy and vacuous children, I think

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  3. It is just about all lies that emanate from WIPP, Fukushima, Hanford . . . and there are the set phrases like low level. I guess if they fool the majority that is all they are aiming for. It looks me like the WIPP will simply collapses eventually though I do not know when. I suppose it could explode. Fukushima just seems truly hopeless. And the Hanford thing is now complicated by a damn that was not so well constructed perhaps or is simply gotten too old. And all we can do is wait for the next nuclear problem place.

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  4. Yep the Carrington Event, is not a matter of if, just a matter of when.

    Picture several hundred nuke plants melting down. You wouldn't want to live.

    Our leaders are insane. I put some Carrington information here--

    http://nukeprofessional.blogspot.com/p/carrington-event-and-astronomy.html

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  5. New power transformer installations in North America and Europe are comparatively lower. However, with 70 percent of power transformers in these regions being more than 25 years old, the replacement market will provide most opportunities for power transformer companies. Supported by strong drivers, the global power transformer market is expected to reach $22.8 billion in 2020. In UK there are great power transformers manufacturers like OTDS Ltd.

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  6. Your concept of Nuclear physics is misguided at best. I have seen how nuclear power plants in the US work. I operated 3 of them. There are BWR or PWR types. When they have no cooling and do melt down, they loose their geometry. Once they loose their geometry they stop producing power. Yes, there is residual radiation, but the core is three times contained. As far as Hanford goes, that was a government mess. Without grid power, power still exists at the nuke plant. Even with Fukushima, nothing of any significance happened, except Tokyo Power company lost a whole lot of money. No lives were lost because of it, nor will they be. Stop with shooting thoughts out of your head that are not correct.

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  7. There are real threats to the electric grid that could knock out power for weeks or months and seriously lead to possible spreading of disease, starvation, and civil unrest if power is out long enough. It has to be sorted out at the earliest.
    Wire harness manufacturer in India | Toroidal transformer in India

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