Radiological emergency response : information for the public and the media.

Eleven commercial nuclear reactors used to generate electricity are currently operating at six sites in Illinois; no other state has as many nuclear reactors. In addition, there are two major research facilities in Illinois operated by the US Department of Energy (Argonne National Laboratory and FermiLab), uranium processing facilities at Metropolis and in nearby Paducah, Kentucky, several manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals and other radioactive materials, thousands of radiation-producing machines used in medicine and industry, and a network of major arterial highways and rail lines over which radioactive material shipments move on a regular basis. Protecting the health and safety of Illinois citizens and the environment from the potentially harmful effects of ionizing radiation is a key function of IEMA'S Division of Nuclear Safety (DNS). That role is fulfilled through programs that monitor nuclear facilities around the clock, ensure the proper operation of radiation-producing equipment and the use of radioactive materials, and measure radioactivity in the environment to ensure no threats to public health exist.

Application to U.S. Atomic Energy Commission for reactor construction permit and operating license.

The plant is to be located at Big Rock Point, Charlevoix County, on Lake Michigan between the towns of Charlevoix and Petoskey.

TVA and the Clinch River breeder reactor project : hearing before the Subcommittee on Regional and Community Development of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, United States Senate, Ninety-eighth Congress, first session, April 20, 1983.

Includes bibliographical references.

Optimization of pipeline transport for CO2 sequestration

Coal fired power generation will continue to provide energy to the world for the foreseeable future. However, this energy use is a significant contributor to increased atmospheric CO2 concentration and, hence, global warming. Capture and disposal Of CO2 has received increased R&D attention in the last decade as the technology promises to be the most cost effective for large scale reductions in CO2 emissions. This paper addresses CO2 transport via pipeline from capture site to disposal site, in terms of system optimization, energy efficiency and overall economics. Technically, CO2 can be transported through pipelines in the form of a gas, a supercritical. fluid or in the subcooled liquid state. Operationally, most CO2 pipelines used for enhanced oil recovery transport CO2 as a supercritical fluid. In this paper, supercritical fluid and subcooled liquid transport are examined and compared, including their impacts on energy efficiency and cost. Using a commercially available process simulator, ASPEN PLUS 10.1, the results show that subcooled liquid transport maximizes the energy efficiency and minimizes the Cost Of CO2 transport over long distances under both isothermal and adiabatic conditions. Pipeline transport of subcooled liquid CO2 can be ideally used in areas of cold climate or by burying and insulating the pipeline. In very warm climates, periodic refrigeration to cool the CO2 below its critical point of 31.1 degrees C, may prove economical. Simulations have been used to determine the maximum safe pipeline distances to subsequent booster stations as a function of inlet pressure, environmental temperature and ground level heat flux conditions. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Sump simulations

Mineral wool insulation material applied to the primary cooling circuit of a nuclear reactor maybe damaged in the course of a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The insulation material released by the leak may compromise the operation of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS), as it maybe transported together with the coolant in the form of mineral wool fiber agglomerates (MWFA) suspensions to the containment sump strainers, which are mounted at the inlet of the ECCS to keep any debris away from the emergency cooling pumps. In the further course of the LOCA, the MWFA may block or penetrate the strainers. In addition to the impact of MWFA on the pressure drop across the strainers, corrosion products formed over time may also accumulate in the fiber cakes on the strainers, which can lead to a significant increase in the strainer pressure drop and result in cavitation in the ECCS. Therefore, it is essential to understand the transport characteristics of the insulation materials in order to determine the long-term operability of nuclear reactors, which undergo LOCA. An experimental and theoretical study performed by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf and the Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz1 is investigating the phenomena that maybe observed in the containment vessel during a primary circuit coolant leak. The study entails the generation of fiber agglomerates, the determination of their transport properties in single and multi-effect experiments and the long-term effects that particles formed due to corrosion of metallic containment internals by the coolant medium have on the strainer pressure drop. The focus of this presentation is on the numerical models that are used to predict the transport of MWFA by CFD simulations in the containment sump. Two dispersed phases were conditions to determine the influence of entrained air from a jet on the transport of fibre agglomerates through the sump. The strainer model of A. Grahn was implemented to observe the impact that the accumulation of the fibres have on the pressure drop across the strainers. The geometry considered is similar to the containment sump configurations found in Nuclear Power Plants.

Fibre agglomerate transport in a horizontal flow

An experimental and theoretical study of the transport of mineral wool fibre agglomerates in nuclear power plant containment sumps is being performed. A racetrack channel was devised to provide data for the validation of numerical models, which are intended to model the transport of fibre agglomerates. The racetrack channel provides near uniform and steady conditions that lead to either the sedimentation or suspension of the agglomerates. Various experimental techniques were used to determine the velocity conditions and the distribution of the fibre agglomerates in the channel. The fibre agglomerates are modelled as fluid particles in the Eulerian reference frame. Simulations of pure sedimentation of a known mass and volume of agglomerations show that the transport of the fibre agglomerates can be replicated. The suspension of the fibres is also replicated in the simulations; however, the definition of the fibre agglomerate phase is strongly dependent on the selected density and diameter. Detailed information on the morphology of the fibre agglomerates is lacking for the suspension conditions, as the fibre agglomerates may undergo breakage and erosion. Therefore, ongoing work, which is described here, is being pursued to improve the experimental characterisation of the suspended transport of the fibre agglomerates.

Creep crack growth in cast steam turbine casing steels

The creep rupture properties of cast ½Cr½Mo¼V and 1Cr1Mo¼V alloy steel used in the manufacture of power station steam generating plant. have been investigated. The effects of constraint and geometry on the creep rupture properties are also considered. The validity of various criteria controlling macroscopic creep crack growth in cast CrMoV alloys has been examined. It is found that neither the stress intensity factor nor reference stress correlate satisfactorily the creep crack growth rates at the test temperature of 550°C. Certain minimum displacements must be achieved for crack initiation and propagation. It is found that this displacement as measured by crack opening displacement or crack aspect ratio, is the same in both compact tension and centre-cracked panel geometries, is invariant with crack length and decreases with increasing constraint. The effect of constraint on creep crack growth rate in the two geometries is less conclusive. A new model describing creep crack growth in cast CrMoV alloy steels has been developed. The model is based on the results from a numerical finite element creep analysis of the relaxation and redistribution of stress ahead of an incubating creep crack . It is found that macroscopic creep crack growth in a material undergoing either plane stress or plane strain deformation can be described by a fracture stress which is based on the Von Mises equivalent stress. It has been shown that this model is capable of rationalising all of the experimental crack velocity data from the cast CrMoV alloys. The resultant degree of data correlation is far superior to that obtained when using the stress intensity factor or reference stress. A cumulative damage creep fracture model based upon the results from the numerical analysis has been developed. It is found that the model is capable of predicting the behaviour of propagating creep cracks in cast CrMoV alloys from smooth bar creep rupture data.

The cost of sin:the effect of social norms on audit pricing

In this paper we provide evidence for the effects of social norms on audit pricing by studying companies belonging to the alcohol, firearms, gambling, military, nuclear power, and tobacco industries,which are often described as “sin” companies. We hypothesize that the disparities between “sin” firms operations and prevailing social norms create an adverse context which heightens the client's business risk assessment by auditors and is, thereby, reflected in the pricing decisions for audit and consulting services. Having controlled for the impact of variables relating to client attributes, auditor attributes and engagement attributes, we demonstrate that audit firms charge significantly higher audit and consulting fees to companies that deviate from prevailing social norms. Additionally,we show that audit pricing levels within the “sin” group depend both on prevailing political views and on the level of “vice” exhibited by “sin” companies.

Heavy ion irradiation effects in zirconium nitride

Polycrystalline zirconium nitride (ZrN) samples were irradiated with He +, Kr ++, and Xe ++ ions to high (>1·10 16 ions/cm 2) fluences at ∼100 K. Following ion irradiation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) were used to analyze the microstructure and crystal structure of the post-irradiated material. For ion doses equivalent to approximately 200 displacements per atom (dpa), ZrN was found to resist any amorphization transformation, based on TEM observations. At very high displacement damage doses, GIXRD measurements revealed tetragonal splitting of some of the diffraction maxima (maxima which are associated with cubic ZrN prior to irradiation). In addition to TEM and GIXRD, mechanical property changes were characterized using nanoindentation. Nanoindentation revealed no change in elastic modulus of ZrN with increasing ion dose, while the hardness of the irradiated ZrN was found to increase significantly with ion dose. Finally, He + ion implanted ZrN samples were annealed to examine He gas retention properties of ZrN as a function of annealing temperature. He gas release was measured using a residual gas analysis (RGA) spectrometer. RGA measurements were performed on He-implanted ZrN samples and on ZrN samples that had also been irradiated with Xe ++ ions, in order to introduce high levels of displacive radiation damage into the matrix. He evolution studies revealed that ZrN samples with high levels of displacement damage due to Xe implantation, show a lower temperature threshold for He release than do pristine ZrN samples.

Reservatório Tabatinga (Macaíba-RN): qualidade ambiental, conflitos e uso

The reservoirs are water sources built along the fluvial basins, between rivers and dams made by concrete or earth. In Brazil they are built for different purposes, standing out the generation of energy (hydroelectric power station), flowing regulation, water reserves and flooding control, therefore they have played and still play an important role in the modern society.In the Northeastern semiarid region, they are typically used to supply cities and as a source of food.In the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the large reservoirs are intended for the same purpose.The cities settled in the riverbanks, or which have river channels crossing them, face flooding related problems. In the city of Macaíba-RN, flooding occurred systematically during the rainy season, causing great inconvenience to the local population.As product of the collective claim Tabatinga Reservoir in Jundiaí river was built, upstream of the city. Facing this background, this thesis aimed to assess the sócio-environmental quality of this reservoir.To achieve this goal, methodologies pointed to assess water quality along with the aplication of a questionnaire were used aimed to verify the quality of water and to know the perception of the residents from urban and rural área settled near to the reservoir was performed. The results showed the existence of conflicts of residents of rural communities and the presence of the reservoir, while for the city's population, the reservoir is considered not only the right solution to solve flooding in urban areas, but also as economic source for the rural population. Considering the water source assessment, this study concluded that the Tabatinga Reservoir is unfit for human use, due to the presence of metals of toxicological significance with the potential to elicit damage to the genetic material of individuals that use water from this reservoir, leading to cause serious risks to health population.

Análisis de la reglamentación europea, promulgada a raíz de los accidentes nucleares, y la determinación de la emisión gamma en alimentos importados

Novel scientific and technological progress require to seek new sources of electricity. Such response is, inter alia, nuclear energy. Nuclear power stations currently produce around a third of the electricity and 14% of the energy consumed in the European Union. A thorough aspect in the use and development of nuclear energy as power source is safety. Nuclear facilities are designed so that the probability of an accident that may affect people and environment was very low. Reasonably, preventive emergency plans take place in the own nuclear facilities in order to mitigate and minimize the consequences, and otherwise another emergency nuclear plans take place outside facilities. Monitoring programs are also conducted in the nearby nuclear facilities, according to the Recommendation reached on 8th June 2000 by the European Commission on the application of Article 36 of the Euratom Treaty for the checking of the levels of radioactivity in the environment, in order to assess the exposure to the whole population. The main objectives of these plans are to check the presence and evolution of radioactive elements and the radiation levels in the environment; to determinate the causes of its increase, if succeed; to estimate the radiological risk to the population; to set corrected measures, if necessary; to ensure legal compliance on the premises and; to verify the suitability of effluent monitoring program to detect radionuclides leaks and transfer to the environment...

Parents of the late Karen Silkwood

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Les interconnexions électriques entre la France et ses voisins européens depuis 1970 : un vecteur méconnu de l'intégration européenne

Les ouvrages de transport d’électricité ont d’abord été pensés un par un, reliant un excédent de production à un besoin de consommation. Ils ont ainsi parfois très naturellement et dès l’origine traversé les frontières des États pour répondre à leur raison d’être. Les secteurs électriques se structurant fortement lorsque le virage électrique fut pris, les interconnexions entre pays furent conçues par les techniciens comme une mesure élémentaire de sûreté et d’équilibre de ce produit atypique qu’est l’électricité. En France plus particulièrement, lorsque la production électronucléaire se développa à partir des années 1970, ces interconnexions devinrent petit à petit sources de revenus pour l’entreprise nationale, et d’équilibre pour la balance commerciale nationale. L’intérêt grandissant porté au secteur électrique par les institutions européennes à la fin des années 1990 vient ébranler les acteurs économiques géographiques verticaux, et rebat les cartes des enjeux à adresser à une maille plus large que l’État nation. Dans ces transformations successives, les interconnexions aux frontières, et particulièrement aux frontières françaises, jouent ainsi un rôle tout à fait spécifique et de plus en plus structurant pour les économies ouvertes des pays européens. Les réseaux de transport électriques continuent ainsi une mutation entamée dans les années 1970 qui les a conduits de la condition de mal nécessaire à celle de vecteurs indispensables de transformation des économies européennes. L’objet de ce mémoire est d’illustrer la très grande capacité d’adaptation de ces organes industriels, économiques, sociétaux et politiques, dont on pourrait faussement penser qu’ils sont immobilisés par leur nature capitalistique, à travers les enjeux portés par les interconnexions aux frontières françaises. Les sources sont à la fois issues de données des opérateurs techniques, de la documentation – encore peu fréquente – sur ces sujets, ainsi que des statistiques officielles du ministère français. Cette capacité d’innovation et de développement de « couches de services » permet aujourd’hui aux grands réseaux de transport de traverser les époques et la variabilité des orientations de leurs environnements, durablement.

El género epistolar en la prensa como visión ciudadana de la esfera pública en Colombia

A partir de un análisis temático inductivo, este artículo explora la visión ciudadana sobre la esfera pública expresada en las cartas de los lectores de los diarios El Tiempo y El Heraldo de Colombia. Los resultados muestran cómo la identidad colectiva de los lectores apareció en forma transversal en las cartas, para dar cuenta de una comunidad de adultos que se autodefine como “colombianos de bien”. El análisis reveló dos unidades de significado: posturas sobre la administración de lo público y antagonismos en la esfera pública, centrada en el conflicto político con las guerrillas. A través de estas se pudieron hacer visibles los llamamientos vívidos de los lectores al gobierno, funcionarios públicos, actores al margen de la ley y a sus compatriotas, para movilizarse para exigir cambios sociales largamente esperados.

China, perspective from the European Union: commitment and cooperation

The bilateral relationship between the EU and China has a tendency toward growth in recent years. At present, China’s economic development is at a critical transition period for deepening reform in the economic structure. The economic and trade cooperation with the countries of the European Union has a significant influence for the stability of trade development and economic growth. Therefore China tries to expand cooperation and eliminate the issues and difficulties that exist, it will more often to promote cooperation between the two parties towards deeper into various cooperative areas.