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Originally Posted by MolsonExport
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These are typical, but completely fallible arguments against nuclear power. First and foremost, the emergency alert was issued by mistake, not due to an actual incident. It was revealed that the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre issued the alert accidentally during a training exercise, not the Pickering Nuclear Plant.
It’s really easy to use Chernobyl and Fukushima as examples, but both are examples of administrative and design failures that were a myriad of issues compounding over time. Chernobyl, to start, used RMBK reactors. These models use a solid graphite moderator (designed to absorb neutrons and control the reaction) with a water coolant, as opposed to a light/heavy water cooler/moderator design that most of the western world uses. While not inherently unsafe, the way the system is set up allows for the generation of steam as the coolant heats up, which creates pockets in the core that cannot absorb neutrons, leading to an increased likelihood of loss of control. The accident itself was caused by a series of tests with poor management and safety culture. They were lowering the power of the reactor for a test, but in doing this, the reactor became poisoned with Xenon, which builds up as a reactor shuts down. Xenon is a neutron inhibitor, which reduces power levels. The operators did not have knowledge of the poisoning, and removed the control rods to increase power, which is what caused the meltdown.
Fukushima was a completely different incident. The meltdown was entirely caused by poor design exacerbated by the tsunami. TEPCO, the authority that built the nuclear plant, made many errors that compounded. When the plant was built, it was supposed to be 30m above sea level, but it was instead built at 10m for easier access. TEPCO, in the 2000s, issued 2 internal tsunami reports that outlined concern for the safety of the plant, but management rejected the reports. In addition to this, the backup generators that keep coolant flowing to the reactors (BWR design, which uses light water as a moderator), were placed in the basement, which was prone to flooding and never addressed. When the tsunami hit, the power went out and the backup generators went on, but the basement flooded and fried the generators, causing the reactors to heat up and melt down.
In Canada we use a completely different reactor system than those mentioned, the CANDU system, which is a PWHR system that uses a pressurized heavy-water moderator and coolant system. The use of heavy water allows for use of non-enriched uranium fuel, and its design allows the moderator/coolant to naturally circulate by heat convection even without power. In addition to this, the control rods that slow the reaction are electromagnetically suspended, so if power loss occurs, the rods fall into the fuel chamber and stop the reaction. We also don’t build our nuclear power plants in geologically unstable areas, and we have a great safety culture in our nation, unlike the Soviet Union. Comparing Canadian nuclear power plants to those abroad is just not accurate.