Japan’s Nuclear Crisis – Could it happen here?

Amid fears that Japan’s Fukushima Power Plant could suffer a meltdown ^[1], and the fact that the nuclear crisis is worsening ^[2], some people are probably wondering if a similar nuclear crisis could happen here in Australia.  Well Australia only has one nuclear plant, and that is the ANSTO run OPAL reactor at Lucas Heights south of Sydney.  The reactors at Fukushima are very different to the OPAL reactor and there is really no cause for concern in Australia.  The differences between these reactors are explained below.

Fukushima Power Plant Reactors

The plants at Fukushima are Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) ^[3].  In a BWR the nuclear fuel heats water, the water boils and creates steam, the steam then drives turbines that create the electricity, and the steam is then cooled and condensed back to water, and the cycle is repeated.  The reactor operates at about 285 °C.  The nuclear fuel is uranium oxide which is a ceramic with a very high melting point of about 2800 °C ^[3].

The core of the reactor is contained in a pressure vessel.  The pressure vessel is a thick steel vessel that operates at a pressure of about 7 MPa (~1000 psi), and is designed to withstand the high pressures that may occur during an accident ^[3].  The entire primary loop of the nuclear reactor – the pressure vessel, pipes, and pumps that contain the coolant (water) – are housed in the containment structure.  The containment structure is a hermetically (air tight) sealed, very thick structure made of steel and concrete. ^[3].

This diagram illustrates the reactor operation and the meltdown process ^[4].

The ANSTO OPAL Reactor

The OPAL reactor is a nuclear research reactor.  It is primarily used for neutron beam research as well as irradiation for radioisotope production ^[5].  The reactor plays an important role in nuclear medicine, creating radiopharmaceuticals to help doctors diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and other conditions ^[6].  The reactor also provides for neutron-activation analysis of materials, and silicon ingot doping for the semiconductor industry ^[5].

This PDF file shows the OPAL reactor ^[7].  OPAL uses low-enriched uranium fuel with around 20 percent uranium-235.  The primary OPAL cooling system operates at approximately 37°C.  The reactor is housed in a steel reinforced building designed to withstand external events, including a one in ten thousand year seismic event, or impact from a light aircraft ^[8].

Concluding Statements

The OPAL reactor produces 20 MW ^[8] at full power while each of the Fukushima Power Plants produces 800 MW ^[9], or 40 times as much power.  Quite simply put, there is no chance of the OPAL reactor melting down.

References

[1]  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/31/3178263.htm

[2]  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/02/3180696.htm

[3]  http://theenergycollective.com/barrybrook/53461/fukushima-nuclear-accident-simple-and-accurate-explanation

[4]  http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/japan-quake-2011/What-is-a-meltdown.htm

[5]  http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/anstos_research_reactor/opal_capabilities

[6]  http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/what_does_ansto_do/nuclear_medicine

[7]  http://www.ansto.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/9303/AboutANSTO_poster.pdf

[8]  http://www.ansto.gov.au/discovering_ansto/anstos_research_reactor/how_does_opal_work

[9]  http://interceder.net/dashboard/Fukushima--Nuclear-Power-Plant

Pink Floyd – One of Rock’s Greatest Bands

Pink Floyd were an English rock band whose music moved the heart and stirred the soul with their mysterious blend of philosophical lyrics and sonic experimentation.  Their music has been described as psychedelic rock or progressive rock, yet much of their music transcends categorisation.  They were somewhat of an enigma, because they tended to shun public life and yet their live shows were overtly spectacular and elaborate.  However Pink Floyd became one of the most commercially successful and influential^[1] rock music groups of all time.

The Early Years

Founded in 1965, the band originally consisted of university students Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and Syd Barrett.  Barrett was a singer-songwriter and guitarist, who provided Pink Floyd, with their major musical and stylistic direction in their early work^[2].  Pink Floyd became popular in the London underground music scene and released a successful début album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967.

Waters Led Era

Following the departure of Barrett in 1968, Roger Waters became the band's lyricist, principal songwriter and conceptual leader.  Waters began to chart Pink Floyd's artistic direction while exerting progressively more creative control over the band and its music.  The band subsequently achieved worldwide success in the 1970s with the concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall and ultimately The Final Cut in1983^[3].

Gilmour Led Era

In 1986 Waters left Pink Floyd and David Gilmore assumed full control of the group.  Gilmore, Mason and Wright produced A Momentary Lapse of Reason in 1987.  Wright officially rejoined the band after the release of the album for a lengthy world tour and helped create 1994's The Division Bell^.[4]

Live Shows

Pink Floyd’s live shows were spectacular events as they were among the first bands to use a dedicated travelling light show in conjunction with their performances^[5].  At different concerts they also used props and pyrotechnics to good effect.  As lighting techniques became more sophisticated their laser light shows became more elaborate and dramatic.  Some of Pink Floyd’s more famous live shows included The Wall 1980-1981 (which was recreated in Berlin in 1990, alongside the ruins of the Berlin Wall), A Momentary Lapse of Reason 1987-1989, and The Division Bell 1994. 

Pink Floyd reunited for the 2005 Live 8 concert in London.  The classic line up of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason played together on stage for the first time in 24 years. 

Legacy

In 1996 Pink Floyd were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame  by Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins as seen in this YouTube clip.

References

[1]  http://rockhall.com/inductees/pink-floyd/bio/

[2]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett

[3]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Waters

[4]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Gilmour

[5]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd_live_performances

WP: CC-BY-SA

Narrating Personal Interest

For me, listening to music is a pleasurable experience, especially when I can listen closely to a favourite CD on my Hi Fi system.  Since I value good music reproduction, I own quite a good Hi Fi system to listen to my rather large collection of CDs.  When I rip songs to play on my iPhone I always use Apple’s Lossless Codec to get the best sound quality, and I listen to the music with full size headphones.

Although I listen to a variety of styles of music, it is classic rock music from the 1970’s and 1980’s that I enjoy listening to most.  The 1970’s in particular were a decade of musical exploration, as different rock bands started experimenting with rock music.  One of the most successful psychedelic and progressive rock bands was Pink Floyd who produced some legendary albums during the 1970’s.

My all-time favourite album is Pink Floyd’s 1973 concept album The Dark Side Of The Moon.  The album The Dark Side Of The Moon is widely regarded as one of the best rock albums of all time, and is one of the best-selling albums worldwide.  I remember listening to this album quite a lot while studying for my Civil Engineering degree at UNSW, and I still love listening to the album today.

Another outstanding feature of Pink Floyd was their elaborate live concerts.  These included spectacular laser light shows together with different props and pyrotechnics.  Later they used a large projection screen behind the band to display video.  The DVD Pulse featuring the 1994 Earls Court London concert is one of Pink Floyd’s spectacular concerts, and one that I really delight in watching as it is such an outstanding visual and auditory feast.

I think that one reason why I like Pink Floyd so much is that their music has a timelessness to it, which is one reason why some of their albums still sell well today. To me, it seems that each generation manages to discover Pink Floyd’s rock music and can appreciate it.

Pink Floyd reunited for the 2005 Live 8 Concert in London. The classic line up of Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason played together on stage for the first time in 24 years.  This is one concert I really wished I could have attended as it would be the last time the four band members would play together again.