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Sunday
Jun262011

More questions about Ft. Calhoun's dry cask storage: NRC admits high-level radioactive waste not protected against flood waters

Image from Cartoradiation's website of dry cask storage next to Missouri River flood waters at Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant, NebraskaQuestions are coming from various sources regarding the status of the dry cask storage of high-level radioactive waste at Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant in Nebraska, given the historic and potentially still rising floodwaters on the Missouri River. A French website (with English text), "Cartoradiations," asks many questions about the status of Ft. Calhoun's dry cask storage, while also providing rare photos of its installation five years ago, and its location relative to various flood defenses and the rising river waters. (Note, however, that Cartoradiations is incorrect in stating that dry cask storage is designed with security against terrorist attacks in mind, it is not; also, Ft. Calhoun's current dry cask storage installation likely holds closer to 200 tons of irradiated nuclear fuel, not 2,000 tons). Hawaii News Daily also has questions, and points out the irony of Areva of France's having provided the dry casks at Ft. Calhoun, while also providing the quickly overwhelmed radioactive water filtration system at Fukushima Daiichi. The Iowa Independent got confirmation from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that Ft. Calhoun's dry cask storage is not located within primary flood protections. The article quotes NRC spokesman Victor Dricks as saying “They are not within the flood protection barrier...There’s no reason for them to be. Those are large, sealed canisters that are bolted down — no risk with the floodwaters.” This explanation contradicts Beyond Nuclear's understanding of basic dry cask storage design. Vents at the foot of dry casks allow a stream of cooling air, via convection currents, to flow over the exterior surface of the inner steel canisters actually holding the thermally hot irradiated nuclear fuel. The heated air then exits the cask via a vent at the top. However, any blockage of the foot vent -- as by Missouri River flood waters at the Ft. Calhoun dry cask storage facility -- could cause the irradiated nuclear fuel to overheat, beyond the design specifications of the dry casks.