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Iran Reports a Major Setback at a Nuclear Power Plant

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  • Iran Reports a Major Setback at a Nuclear Power Plant

    A-Jad might have to wipe off the froth from his mouth.

    Iran told atomic inspectors this week that it had run into a serious problem at a newly completed nuclear reactor that was supposed to start feeding electricity into the national grid this month, raising questions about whether the trouble was sabotage, a startup problem, or possibly the beginning of the project’s end.

    In a report on Friday, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran told inspectors on Wednesday that it was planning to unload nuclear fuel from its Bushehr reactor — the sign of a major upset. For years, Tehran has hailed the reactor as a showcase of its peaceful nuclear intentions and its imminent startup as a sign of quickening progress.
    But nuclear experts said the giant reactor, Iran’s first nuclear power plant, now threatens to become a major embarrassment, as engineers remove 163 fuel rods from its core.

    Iran gave no reason for the unexpected fuel unloading, but it has previously admitted that the Stuxnet computer worm infected the Bushehr reactor. On Friday, computer experts debated whether Stuxnet was responsible for the surprising development.

    Russia, which provided the fuel to Iran, said earlier this month that the worm’s infection of the reactor should be investigated, arguing that it might trigger a nuclear disaster. Other experts said those fears were overblown, but noted that the full workings of the Stuxnet worm remained unclear.

    In interviews Friday, nuclear experts said the trouble behind the fuel unloading could range from minor safety issues and operational ineptitude to serious problems that would bring the reactor’s brief operational life to a premature end.

    “It could be simple and embarrassing all the way to ‘game over,’ ” said David A. Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists and a former official at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees nuclear reactors in the United States.

    Mr. Lochbaum added that having to unload a newly fueled reactor was “not unprecedented, but not an everyday occurrence.” He said it happened perhaps once in every 25 or 30 fuelings. In Canada, he added, a reactor was recently fueled and scrapped after the belated discovery of serious technical problems.

    “This could represent a substantial setback to their program,” David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a private group in Washington that tracks nuclear proliferation, said of the problem behind the Bushehr upset.

    “It raises questions of whether Iran can operate a modern nuclear reactor safely,” he added. “The stakes are very high. You can have a Chernobyl-style accident with this kind of reactor, and there’s lots of questions about that possibility in the region.”
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/wo...nuke.html?_r=2

  • #2
    Aryajet, et al,

    Don't you just hate that.
    Originally posted by Aryajet View Post
    A-Jad might have to wipe off the froth from his mouth.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/26/wo...nuke.html?_r=2
    TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — In a major setback to Iran's nuclear program, technicians will have to unload fuel from the country's first atomic power plant because of an unspecified safety concern, a senior government official said. The vague explanation ...
    Report: Iran's nuclear plant hits setbacks Ynetnews Iran to 'remove fuel' from Bushehr nuclear plant AFP Iran nuclear plant suffers setback Aljazeera.net
    (COMMENT)

    Sometimes, a plan just doesn't come together. I hope it requires and expensive fix.

    Most Respectfully,
    R

    Comment


    • #3
      I read about that "worm" they mentioned about a month ago. As I understand it, the worm could do some serious damage.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Julie View Post
        I read about that "worm" they mentioned about a month ago. As I understand it, the worm could do some serious damage.
        Hi there Julie,
        According to Rosatom's official report your assumption is not far off the reality.

        Russia says why Iranian nuclear plant was unloaded

        MOSCOW – Russia's nuclear energy agency says the order to remove fuel from the Russian-built nuclear plant in Iran came because of concerns that metal particles might be contaminating fuel assemblies.

        The Saturday announcement that fuel would be unloaded from the Bushehr plant was seen as a setback for Iran's nuclear program and raised questions about whether the mysterious computer worm known as Stuxnet might have caused more damage at the plant than previously acknowledged.

        The Rosatom agency said Monday that damaged elements were found in a cooling pump at the plant, raising the possibility that metal particles could get on the fuel assemblies.

        The Bushehr plant was to go online this year, and it was not immediately clear how long the unloading, repair and reloading would take.
        Russia says why Iranian nuclear plant was unloaded - Yahoo! News

        Comment


        • #5
          On the wire today it mentioned that claims are being made that metal particles are being found in the cooling systems filters and are perhaps posing a problem to the reactors fuel prompting Russia to demand that Iran shut down the reactor and unload the fuel rods. They do not say how long it will take them to unload the fuel nor how long the reactor will be down. Some claims mention the Stuxnet worm but there is no indication of this from Russia on the wire.
          Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

          Comment


          • #6
            The Stuxnet worm only affect the gas centrifuges. It damage about 10% of centrifuge units at Natanz (by allowing to spin out of control). But Iran have already replaced the damaged units, and the enrichment process is running at full speed.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by coolieno99 View Post
              The Stuxnet worm only affect the gas centrifuges. It damage about 10% of centrifuge units at Natanz (by allowing to spin out of control). But Iran have already replaced the damaged units, and the enrichment process is running at full speed.
              Uhm no, Iran has admitted that its entire program including its reactor complex has been devestated and Russia is demanding the retuirn of fuel rods.

              Nor did the worm cause the centerfuges to spin out of control. That would be isntantly noticiable. It appears the worm rans the devices at a speed that would cause a failure to enrich while also inducing physical damage to the equipment all while reporting proper operation to the control systems.

              Comment


              • #8
                It sounds like different issues, incorrectly enriched fuel and cooling system damage. If both are related to the "worm" then it was quite an infestation they had.
                sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
                If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by USSWisconsin View Post
                  It sounds like different issues, incorrectly enriched fuel and cooling system damage. If both are related to the "worm" then it was quite an infestation they had.
                  Some of the talk on the internet indicates it was prepared to affect the nuke program at every stage it could get to. This makes sense since there was no way to know exaclty what system it would be introduced to. hell just telling the virus to leanr what norm was, then show normal while randomly mixing numbers up or down 5-20% would be devestating.

                  Comment

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