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StumbleSun Editorial:
‘Glow train’ goes national
Risks inherent in transporting nuclear waste are documented on The History Channel
Sunday, June 29, 2008 | 2:10 a.m.
A documentary that aired on The History Channel last week gave a national audience a glimpse into the concerns that Nevadans have had for years about the potential dangers of shipping high-level nuclear waste across the country on trains that would roll through hundreds of cities and towns.
Tuesday’s airing of “Mega Disasters: Glow Train Catastrophe,” evaluated the U.S. Energy Department’s plan to ship by railroad some 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste to a proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
The show examined the frequency and severity of derailments and fiery collisions that have been reported on the nation’s railroads, noting that, on average, some 3,000 incidents involving derailments happen each year.
One of the accidents profiled was the 1996 derailment of a freight train passing through Weyauwega, Wis. Thirty of the 37 derailed cars were carrying highly flammable hazardous materials. The fire burned for two weeks and forced the evacuation of 2,300 people. Federal inspectors say the derailment was caused by a rail that had broken because of a fractured bolt hole.
Richard Brenner, hazardous materials coordinator for the Clark County Fire Department, who appeared on Tuesday’s program, said that if a train carrying high-level nuclear waste derailed in such a manner, “Las Vegas would not be prepared to handle something like that. It would be very difficult for any fire department in the nation to handle something like that.”
His “any fire department in the nation” observation is something History Channel viewers across the country should now be contemplating.
Nevadans have largely been the ones engaged in the fight against the Energy Department’s ill-conceived Yucca Mountain repository and the agency’s equally poor plan for transporting toxic nuclear waste. And “Mega Disasters” didn’t tell most of us anything we haven’t had numerous occasions to hear.
But maybe now residents across the country — not just Nevadans — will be asking the tough questions and telling the federal government that carrying the nation’s high-level nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain on an aging rail system is absurd.
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Nuclear material would be encased in a large volume of insulating material and placed in casks that have been crash tested. I can see why people in Nevada are concearned about the transport of nuke material, but it is irresponsible on your part to hint to the public that only a quarter inch of steel lies between them and nuclear disaster. Trucks have been hauling this stuff on the road for years and if these casks were not up to the job we would have heard about by now. Nuclear material is transported from mines to processors to power plants to storage all the time around the world. Whether or not Yucca Mountain is the proper solution is still open to discussion. After reading this piece of misleading trash it calls into question if the Sun is giving unbiased and truthful information on the subject.
For those of you concerned about nuclear safety and waste products there is a much better alternative. Thorium based (rather than uranium based) nuclear power. This technology was demonstrate in the 50's and 60's but was abandoned because it was much harder to produce weapons grade material (compared to uranium). The military considerations favored the uranium fuel cycle.
More specifically LFTR (liquid fluoride thorium reactors) compared to uranium reactors burn fuel 100x more efficiently without reprocessing, result in ~100x less waste and are inherently safer and should cost less to build.
In addition, since LFTR is a high temp low pressure process it can use water or air cooling. Thus Ut/Nv etc, where water is scarce, could replace it's coal fired plants with low cost, clean thorium power plants. Much more cost effective and reliable than the wind and solar plants that California is building. (fyi, California's electricity currently costs 2x Utah's and they are on a path to keep it that way.)
Comparison: Uranium vs Thorium Based Nuclear Power
Uranium LWR /// Thorium LFTR
Fuel Reserves (relative) __________________ 1 /// 100
Fuel Mining Waste Volume (relative) ____ 1000 /// 1
Fuel Burning Efficiency _______________ <1% /// >95%
Radioactive Waste Volume (relative) ______ 40 /// 1
Radioactive Waste Isolation Period __10000yrs /// 80% 10yrs, 20% 300yrs
Plant Cost (relative) _____________________ 1 /// <1
Plant Thermal Efficiency _____________ ~33% /// ~50%
Cooling Requirements _______________ Water /// Water or Air
Plant Safety _______________________ Good /// Very Good
Weapons Grade Material Production ____ Yes /// No(very hard)
Burn Existing Nuclear Waste ___________ No /// Yes
Development Status _______ Commercial Now /// Demonstrated
for more info see
www.energyfromthorium.com/
www.energyfromthorium.com/ppt/thoriumVsU...
charlesH (BS Physics)
Orem, Utah
The article states "Richard Brenner, hazardous materials coordinator for the Clark County Fire Department, who appeared on Tuesday’s program, said that if a train carrying high-level nuclear waste derailed in such a manner, “Las Vegas would not be prepared to handle something like that. It would be very difficult for any fire department in the nation to handle something like that.”
Richard Brenner should be more concerned about keeping his job, if he is hazardous materials coordinator for Clark County fire department and doesn't even know that a train carrying waste to Yucca Mountain couldn't derail in the same manner, since spent fuel and vitrified waste are in solid form and cannot burn or explode.