Thailand Opts To Build Nuclear Power Plant

[Rinrada]

There a nice bit of land just along from the Bali Hi Pier in Patti that would be ideal for a Nuk Power Station ...and... just think of all those millions of potential foreign toorists that it would attract.

A real BOOM town in the making.......

[Scott]

Oh, and I think if the country goes nuclear then we won't need much electricity because we'll all be glowing in the dark anyway!

I have no particular problem with nuclear energy, but I do given the level of corruption and the gross level of inexperience (and incompetence) in this area. I mean, someone gets a contract from their "influential" politician/friend, he then decides to sub-contract that to his loser brother-in-law, who decides to use less rebar and cement........ and, here we are, glowing in the dark!

[soundman]

Forgetting about the actual construction of the reactor facility itself, lets look at the problem of hazardous (radioactive) materials handling, storage & disposal.

"Yo Noi, go 'nd fetch a couple of the long, heavy rod things. Peak period is coming & we have to juice this thing up!"

"No problemo boss, where the <deleted> do we keep those anyway?"

"Don't ya know ya imbecile? They're in that rusty shed outside."

"Got it. Hey do I need one of those suit things you are wearing?"

"Na, its only for us techies who have to wear this garb to keep the inter. inspectors happy. She'll be right mate!"

"What about the pile of used ones out the back?"

"Don't concern youself with those laddie. The dump truck's comin next week to take them to the new landfill for the runway extension at the airport. We actually make profit fom selling that glowing sh!t."

"No wuckers boss!"

I see the problem of waste management & environmental impact being a huge issue. I think work place safety & other stds. have a way to go before Thailand will be reponsible enough to operate a nuclear device of any desription.

Cheers,

Soundman.

PS. The coloured conversation above is written in jest at a potentially dangerous problem.

[Scott]

How can you possibly think there would be a problem with waste disposal. The country is awash with plastic bags. Just put that stuff in plastic bags and put it in the garbage--mai pen rai!

[plachon]

[/color]I see the problem of waste management & environmental impact being a huge issue. I think work place safety & other stds. have a way to go before Thailand will be reponsible enough to operate a nuclear device of any desription.

Cheers,

Soundman.

PS. The coloured conversation above is written in jest at a potentially dangerous problem.

Where does that leave the Ongkarak reactor, I wonder? She's already up and running for some years I believe, but some people (in particular the last Gov of Bangkok - Ai Dang Moo) wanted to soup it up a bit and make it ballistic.

I'm with ya Soundman on the niggling little worries about Thailand going nuclear. I can still remember the nuclear fallout from Chernobyl back in '86, when working under rainy Scottish skies. They banned selling Dumfries lamb, like Lappland reindeer steaks, for about a decade after. Which dude said one didn't need to worry about the atmosphere with nuclear? Maybe too young to remember 3 Mile Island's and Sellafield's little contributions to cancer spikes and other nuclear presents.

[soundman]

Where does that leave the Ongkarak reactor, I wonder? She's already up and running for some years I believe, but some people (in particular the last Gov of Bangkok - Ai Dang Moo) wanted to soup it up a bit and make it ballistic.

I'm with ya Soundman on the niggling little worries about Thailand going nuclear. I can still remember the nuclear fallout from Chernobyl back in '86, when working under rainy Scottish skies. They banned selling Dumfries lamb, like Lappland reindeer steaks, for about a decade after. Which dude said one didn't need to worry about the atmosphere with nuclear? Maybe too young to remember 3 Mile Island's and Sellafield's little contributions to cancer spikes and other nuclear presents.

Had no idea there is a reactor in Ongkarak - I live down wind from there.

Cheers,

Soundman.

[Ijustwannateach]

A few years back they had that little runaway reaction in Tokyo, of all places. They had a mixing tank with two lines indicating the amounts of two different materials to be mixed before injection into another part of the reactor. I think one of the materials was a radioactive cesium-based fluid. Anyway, despite a theoretically excellent education and training, the manager decided to DOUBLE the recipe (and so increase the apparent efficiency of his section). Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten about things like chain reactions and critical mass, and his ignorance killed himself and a few workers and irradiated an entire town.

If they can't even get it right all the time in Japan.....

[Master of the court]

NIMBY ,

as i stated earlier when this was raised ,

until they learn to store munitions without them exploding , perhaps they should refrain from nuclear technology .

One would hope that it is built to a better grade than the airport...

I foresee property prices taking a nose dive in whichever lucky province gets designated...

Soundman.

What do you mean ?? its already decided..........it will be the same Company...........ofcourse....

[MarkBKK]

There's a nuclear reactor near JJs. It's been there for about 30 years. I haven't seen many two-headed Thais wandering around Bangkok. I haven't seen property prices tumbling around JJs over the last 30 years either ... or a big, hot hole in the ground.

[Mid]

Reactor: OAP operates a 2-megawatt nuclear research reactor, Thai Research Reactor 1/Modification 1 (TRR-1/M1). TRR-1/M1 is of the type TRIGA Mark III, built by General Atomics, and began operation in 1977. TRR-1/M1 is the only nuclear reactor in Thailand.

TRIGA is a pool-type reactor that can be installed without a containment building, and is designed for use by scientific institutions and universities for purposes such as graduate education, private commercial research, non-destructive testing and isotope production.

The TRIGA reactor uses uranium-zirconium-hydride (UZrH) fuel, which has a prompt negative temperature coefficient, meaning that as the temperature of the core increases, the reactivity decreases - so it is physically impossible for a meltdown to occur.

them's apples ,

these are oranges ...................

[soundman]

Reactor: OAP operates a 2-megawatt nuclear research reactor, Thai Research Reactor 1/Modification 1 (TRR-1/M1). TRR-1/M1 is of the type TRIGA Mark III, built by General Atomics, and began operation in 1977. TRR-1/M1 is the only nuclear reactor in Thailand.

TRIGA is a pool-type reactor that can be installed without a containment building, and is designed for use by scientific institutions and universities for purposes such as graduate education, private commercial research, non-destructive testing and isotope production.

The TRIGA reactor uses uranium-zirconium-hydride (UZrH) fuel, which has a prompt negative temperature coefficient, meaning that as the temperature of the core increases, the reactivity decreases - so it is physically impossible for a meltdown to occur.

them's apples ,

these are oranges ...................

That, I suppose puts it in perspective. Give a kid a fool proof toy - he gets some confidence. Give him the real deal & the boundaries (Chernoble) will be pushed.

Soundman.

[Mid]

ps , the ruskies are building one for the western neighbours ...................................

[MarkBKK]

Reactor: OAP operates a 2-megawatt nuclear research reactor, Thai Research Reactor 1/Modification 1 (TRR-1/M1). TRR-1/M1 is of the type TRIGA Mark III, built by General Atomics, and began operation in 1977. TRR-1/M1 is the only nuclear reactor in Thailand.

TRIGA is a pool-type reactor that can be installed without a containment building, and is designed for use by scientific institutions and universities for purposes such as graduate education, private commercial research, non-destructive testing and isotope production.

The TRIGA reactor uses uranium-zirconium-hydride (UZrH) fuel, which has a prompt negative temperature coefficient, meaning that as the temperature of the core increases, the reactivity decreases - so it is physically impossible for a meltdown to occur.

them's apples ,

these are oranges ...................

Fair enough.

As living proof that a little knowledge in the wrong hands is a dangerous thing, I should be held up to Thailand as an example

If they go ahead, I'm ready and prepared to duck, cover and kiss my arse goodbye!

(Er ... it's quite scary actually ...)

[astral]

"Yo Noi, go 'nd fetch a couple of the long, heavy rod things. Peak period is coming & we have to juice this thing up!"

"No problemo boss, where the <deleted> do we keep those anyway?"

"Don't ya know ya imbecile? They're in that rusty shed outside."

"Got it. Hey do I need one of those suit things you are wearing?"

"Na, its only for us techies who have to wear this garb to keep the inter. inspectors happy. She'll be right mate!"

"What about the pile of used ones out the back?"

"Don't concern youself with those laddie. The dump truck's comin next week to take them to the new landfill for the runway extension at the airport. We actually make profit fom selling that glowing sh!t."

"No wuckers boss!"

coloured conversation above is written in jest at a potentially dangerous problem.

Many a true word is spoken in jest...............

[Ping]

Build it down in Pattaya and put some chrome poles around it. Brownout problems solved immediately.

[dkstoney]

You know, they encased the Chernobyl reactor in a "sarcophagus" just to get the ###### thing covered over until they could figure out what to do with it. Well, it's over 2o years later and they're talking about building another case around the first case that is rapidly deteriorating due to the heat and radioactivity emanating from the pit. It's still in that pit--under tons and tons of boron and lime--burning a hole in the ground. That incident is far from over and it's not mainstream news. It's not mainstream news because you're not supposed to know about it; think about it; talk about it. It's big business and it doesn't want a bad image. It doesn't matter where you build it. It's dangerous beyond all comparison and the fact that there aren't more people up in arms at the idea of Thailand adding one more pothole to the road is pretty damning evidence of the lack of education on the matter.

A lack of education that is by no means coincidental nor accidental.

[plachon]

Build it down in Pattaya and put some chrome poles around it. Brownout problems solved immediately.

Toasted tottie.......hhhhhhmmmmmmm.

Now you mention it, with all that friction being created down there in Patters every night, why bother with a nuclear generator at all. Why not just convert all that latent energy directly into electricty. Convert the poles into Van der Graaf generators or something. I'm sure there would be plenty of volunteers on TV with the requisite knwledge to create a few MB's out of the shiny poles, thus saving the Thai nation the dangers of a meltdown. Any public spirited takers?

[Steely Dan]

Truth imitating fiction perhaps?

[jumnien]

It's frightening to imagine the like of the CNS managing a nuke plant!

[ding]

Of course they'll stage huge bins of "Nuke-Away!" around the site in case of leaks or terrorist attack. Right?

They DO have "Nuke-Away!" don't they?

Edited June 15, 2007 by ding

[soundman]

Truth imitating fiction perhaps?

A real possiblity...

Soundman.

[kenk3z]

I ran the Thai characters for the project's code name through the transliteration computer program and it came back:

SuwannaBOOM

kenk3z

[rafval]

aside from the practical issues there are the ecomonic, uranium isnt going to last much longer then oil, and with everyone deciding it is some kind of endless energy supply that isnt contributing to global warming I imagine the cost of uranium will have gone up substatualy by the time it is built, let alone the remainder if its life, I predict there will be a lot of half built nuclear reactors around the planet soon, countries really need to think about putting their money into developing sustainable energy, they are going to have to in less then 50 years anyway so why not put the money into it now and get a head start on the rest of the world, but I guess the fortune tellers that make these decisions arent to clued up on reality

you are tripping mate, everywhere they dig in northern South Australia, Uranium is popping up.

Olympic Dam at a conservative estimate will produce for another 70 years.

There are at least 20 other claims that are in the offing

thats the point, so at current use they will get 60 years, but concidering every country on the planet is thinking of going nuclear I think it can be assumed that thats more like thirty, then what?

[wintermute]

I wonder how Thailand's neighbors feel about it going "nuclear" ? I also wonder what treaty plans they have planned in case of an environmental disaster concerning a plant failure.

[PeaceBlondie]

Maybe I'm ignorant, but I can't imagine starting something when you have no, absolutely no idea how to finish it. The used radioactive material would still be radioactive after one hundred Chakri dynasties have lived and died, maybe ten times the current Buddhist date of 2550...in what language and alphabet do you engrave the warning signs on the containment capsules? What material has been shown able to encase uranium for 298,859 years?

[Mid]

What material has been shown able to encase uranium for 298,859 years?

good old fashioned dirt .

[JR Texas]

What material has been shown able to encase uranium for 298,859 years?

good old fashioned dirt .

JR Texas: I think salt........but, that said, I am sure the insurgents down south are breaking out the champagne.....or getting ready to.

[Mid]

JR Texas: I think salt

think Australia .

[rychrde]

JR Texas: I think salt

think Australia .

Glass

maybe Chang beer co can dispose of the stuff.

actually, seems like a lot of mega-projects being announced. Wish they'd announce some better education. Without it, no hope of doing much apart from buying everything from the first world.

rych

[brahmburgers]

Sacramento California had a working nuclear power plant up until about 15 years ago. The citizens organized against it - after it was up and running - and wound up closing it down. One could say the regional citizens got well-informed and did the wise thing. Environmental and safety concerns were the main reason for the closure, but the lax security situation added to the concerns of the protesters. The whole closure procedure happened in a peaceful civil manner, with debates and votes. There was no violence or undue manipulations in the process. Can you imagine such an important process happening in in a civil manner in Thailand?

For an alternative, my 2 satang worth = HEMP

On multiple levels, hemp could greatly ease the power shortages that are predicted. It's not psychosomatic by the way (it can't get you high). Hemp grows like a hardy weed on poor soils. Its dried stalks could be burned to generate power. After all, that's basically what a heat-powered power plant is: a means to boil water to generate steam to drive turbines. The smoke could readily be 'scrubbed'. Those familiar with hemp know that it's has a bunch of other attributes: oil that's nutritious and can be used as a fuel, cloth, beauty products, construction material, to name a few.

Solar and wind would also be very wise alternatives. Perhaps the higher-ups who are pushing for nuclear are the same ones who consult fortune tellers, and the same ones who pushed through the construction of SUV airport.