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360 kilograms in 30 m³ of water? Is that a mistake in English translation, or what kind of process was this water used in?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 at 04:36:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The incident apparently concerns the enrichment facility Eurodif next to the the three-block nuclear power plant Tricastin that powers it (all of it!), so that's why there could be such a high amount in the water. Read the Wikipedia article on Eurodif - very interesting, with connections to Iran and a delayed replacement with a gas centrifuge plant.

French independent nuclear watchdog CRIIAD comments on storage of nuclear waste at the site and on the emission level of the release.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 at 06:04:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The second report criticises the authorities for giving the release in grams, but not in nuclear activity. They say that if the release was uranium with a natural isotope ratio (i.e. not enriched), the release was one of 9200 MBq - vs. an annual into-the-river emission limit of 71.7 MBq set for the plant.

They also compare their estimated activity level of 300,000 Bq/l with the limit set for liquids after treatment, 50 Bq/l.

The first report is actually totally unrelated: it was released just ahead of the incident by chance. It discusses their research into illegal/improper dumping of nuclear waste at the site. There is an earth mound on the site that is the apparent source of high radiation levels that hides nuclear waste from 1969-76, improperly (no groundwater shielding, defense against erosion), but it appeared in the national registry of nuclear waste only in 2002, with lacking detail, and the nuclear authority carries out no checks just trusts the owner.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 at 06:38:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
is being replaced by a new plant with thechnology that allows it to cut its power needs 20-fold (down to 50MW or so) - this alone is freeing up 2 nuclear tranches for EDF.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 at 07:19:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep, gas diffusion vs. gas centriguges. However, at present it has a delay of at least 3 years, opening tabled for 2009; reasons included geological security issues as far as I know.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 at 07:38:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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