Serious questions about the safety of Holtec’s canisters for nuclear wastes

Dr. Kris Singh , CEO, Holtec International, On (Not) Repairing Dry Canisters

– Dr. Singh states: “…It is not practical to repair a canister if it were damaged… … if that canister were to develop a leak, let’s be realistic; you have to find it, that crack, where it might be, and then find the means to repair it. You will have, in the face of millions of curies of radioactivity coming out of canister; we think it’s not a path forward… …you can easily isolate that canister in a cask that keeps it cool and basically you have provided the next confinement boundary, you’re not relying on the canister. So that is the practical way to deal with it and that’s the way we advocate for our clients.* …A canister that develops a microscopic crack (all it takes is a microscopic crack to get the release), to precisely locate it… And then if you try to repair it (remotely by welding)…the problem with that is you create a rough surface which becomes a new creation site for corrosion down the road. ASME Sec 3. Class 1 has some very significant requirements for making repairs of Class 1 structures like the canisters, so I, as a pragmatic technical solution, I don’t advocate repairing the canister.” Additional remarks by Dr. Singh and others from that meeting: https://youtu.be/s5LAQgTcvAU

*NOTE: Problems with Dr. Singh’s solution for putting cracked canisters inside [transport] casks. · There are currently (Dec. 2014) no NRC approved Holtec specifications that address Dr. Singh’s solution of using the “Russian doll” approach of putting a cracked canister inside a [transport] cask.

· The current NRC requirements for transport casks require the interior canister to be intact for transport. The NRC requirement provides some level of redundancy in case the outer cask fails. Does this mean this leaking canister can never safely be moved? Who will allow this to be transported through their communities? What is the state of the fuel inside a cracked canister? · What is the seismic rating of a cracked canister – even if it has not yet cracked all the way through?

The NRC has no rating, but plans to allow up to a 75% crack. Currently, there is no technology that can inspect for corrosion or cracks. The NRC is giving the industry 5 years to develop it. ·

What is the cost for the transport casks that will be needed for storage? Will they be on-site? Where is this addressed? Transport casks are intended to be reusable. How and where will they be stored and secured on-site? · How will the leaking canister be handled by the Department of Energy at the receiving end of the transport?

The DOE currently requires fuel to be retrievable from the canister. A better solution would be to use casks that are not susceptible to cracks, that can be inspected and repaired and that have early warning monitoring systems that alert us before radiation leaks into the environment. For more information, go to SanOnofreSafety.org Video by: Ace Hoffman www.acehoffman.org

November 25, 2019 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | General News

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1.This month.

The Road to War brings a sharp focus to why it is not in Australia’s best interest to be dragged into a war with China which will almost inevitably go nuclear very quickly. The filmmaker has interviewed some of Australia’s senior foreign policy analysts who have vast experience behind them in analysing what really is going on here as the United States rattles its sabres with China. And sets us up to be its proxy, like the poor Ukranians have been fed into the Meatgrinder. So America can remain the Top Dog. The Road to War reveals how the United States through its spy base at Pine Gap and by stationing six nuclear capable B52 bombers in the Top End (without permission from the traditional owners) is making Australia a prime nuclear target if the current war of words suddenly melts down into full scale war.

The Road to War shows the implicit connection between Carbon emissions (the US military uses a whopping 70% of America’s annual petroleum to move its armies and vast War Machine around the globe to its 800+ military bases..but under a loophole wangled at Kyoto, the US military does not have to report its C02 annual emissions). The Road to War starts screening at selected cities and regional centres in March. See the trailer end for details.

Antinuclear

Australian news, and some related international items