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Chernobyl reactor shut down following malfunction

Copyright ) 1999 Nando Media Copyright ) 1999 Associated Press

By MARINA SYSOEVA

KIEV, Ukraine (December 2, 1999 7:48 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - The only working reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was shut down when a leak was detected in a water pipe, just six days after the plant was restarted, officials said Thursday.

Chernobyl operators found the tiny leak in a pipeline of the backup cooling system during a planned examination, the Chernobyl press service said. The water in the pipe does not work in the nuclear reactor itself, but provides pressure to the reactor's cooling system.

The reactor was turned off Wednesday, said Oleh Holoskokov, a Chernobyl spokesman. He said there were no radiation leaks.

Holoskokov said a week would be needed to repair the leak and that the reactor, the plant's only working one, should be restarted by Dec. 9.

Chernobyl was shut down for repairs on July 1 and was restarted last Friday.

Plant officials insist the reactor is safe, even though Western governments and environmental groups have urged the former Soviet republic to shut it down for good.

Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 exploded in 1986, sending a radioactive cloud over much of Europe. That reactor is covered by a steel-and-concrete sarcophagus that is currently undergoing repairs.

A 1995 agreement between Ukraine and the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations said the plant should be closed by the year 2000.

But Ukraine has said it doesn't have the $1.2 billion needed to finish construction of two new reactors to replace the output that would be lost by closing Chernobyl.

The government has said it plans to shut down the nuclear power plant sometime next year and has called on the West to provide the necessary funds.

Ukraine's five nuclear power plants, with 14 reactors, provide 40 percent of the country's electricity. At any given time, several of the reactors are down for repairs, but Ukraine says it can't afford to shut any of the plants down until more are built.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 02, 1999

Answers

Chernobyl trouble in September

-- lisa (lisa@work.now), December 02, 1999.

Food for thought:

About a year ago, I came across a translation (sorry do not remember the source, nor do I have a URL) BUT:

Chernobyl in Ukrainian literally means "Worm Wood."

-- hiding in plain (sight@edge. of no-where), December 02, 1999.

It's not a minor, simple problem if it takes that long to "fix;" and I distrust "fixes" that involve "tiny leaks" in ANY pipeline.......been there, done that; minor leaks in backup pipelines can be quickly taken care of - and access can't be a problem, if access was sufficient to allow inspection during routine operation......

Now, I do applaud them for having the courage to demand the time to shutdown and attempt repairs and restart operations, rather than remain active....despite obvious political and economic pressure to stay on line.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 02, 1999.

Yes, and worm wood was a sign of the end. It was discribed as posioning the water, and the land and killing many people... the irradiated water DID taste bitter, and many DID die, so that bible prediction came true...

-- Crono (Crono@timesend.com), December 02, 1999.

To be more specific, Jeremiah 9:15 and 23:15 as well as Book of Rev. 8:11. But of course, Mr. Megiddo tells us that Rev. was written by "some guy named John" That "guy" was called a son of thunder by Christ himself. John was tortured with boiled oil on orders of Roman Emporer Domitian on the island of Patmos. His visions, whether pain or pain relief induced are considered holy scripture by nearly all Christian clerics. He is St. John of God or St. John the Divine. His feast day is 28 Dec. A word to the wise, SAINT John saw giant locusts after wormwood failed. Which sound alot like helicopter gunships to me. Take heed to all of what he envisioned when he said an angel came to him in his agony and "lifted him out of his spirit". He also foresaw that no man might buy or sell without a mark of the beast. Check out the U.S. Patent office and the recent granting of a patent for a barcode tattoo in invisible ink. Digital currency anyone? Now do you understand why the youth went berzerk in the Emerald City two days ago? Our lives are at stake here. America wake up. 67& of the soybeans and 35% of the corncrop was genetically modified seed sown this year. The Battle of Seattle was the 2nd Boston Tea Party!!!

-- Lorelei the Pagan (mermaid@rhineroc.com), December 02, 1999.

Another story on the shutdown: http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/9912/03/A13929- 1999Dec3.shtml

Chernobyl nuclear reactor closed after radioactive leak

Source: AFP | Published: Friday December 3 3:39:41 AM

KIEV, Dec 2 - The newly re-opened third reactor at Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986, has been shut down because of a malfunction in its emergency cooling system, a plant spokesman said today.

"A leak was detected Wednesday night in the pipes transporting radioactive water and used to cool down the third reactor," the Chernobyl spokesman said, adding however that no increase in radioactivity was recorded.

Reactor number three, which is the only one in operation at the plant, was reopened on November 26 after five months of work to ensure the plant's safety.

The repair work included checking and reinforcing the reactor's pipe system, which was discovered in recent years to be riddled with hundreds of cracks.

An environment ministry official said the leak proved the dilapidated plant was a ticking time-bomb that threatened the whole of Europe.

"We're shocked. The plant has got to be shut down for safety reasons. We cannot put the lives of the population in danger," Vadim Grichenko said.

Grichenko said Kiev was still waiting to find out if it would receive the $US3.1 billion ($A4.75 billion) dollar compensation handouts promised by the G7 group of industrialised nations, in return for closing the plant by the year 2000.

"It is vitally important for us to know whether we are going to get this money. However, for now the safety issue has to over-ride all financial considerations," Grichenko said.

The plant spokesman said the reactor was scheduled to start functioning again on December 8.

An independent expert said the lack of funds meant the repair work carried out on the reactor had been shoddy.

"Everything has been done in a hurry," Georgy Kochinsky said.

Reactor number four melted down on April 26, 1986, spreading a radioactive cloud over much of Europe and claiming between 3000 and 12,000 lives, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Reactor number two was shut down in 1991 after a fire, and reactor number one was taken out of service in 1996 as part of an international agreement to decommission the plant.

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Got KI?

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 03, 1999.