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Canada just cut a hole in the roof of a working nuclear reactor, hauled out eight steam generators weighing 100 tons each, and lowered new ones into the same hole, bringing the reactor back online se… (www.autonocion.com)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 29 points 4 months ago (8 children)

Just that you know: they do not cut open the actual reactor. They cut open the engine house (or however it is called in Canada), which houses generators and turbines running on a non-radioactive steam circuit. The engine house is the usually rectangular building next to the actual reactor, the building where all the power lines originate from.

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  • [–] 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (6 children)

    Actually, they did cut open the reactor building. CANDU is a unique type of nuclear reactor in that it uses unenriched natural uranium. It uses a heavy water loop, which is heated by the reactor core (heavy water acts as the moderator). The heat from the heavy water loop is transferred to a light water loop in a steam generator. The generated steam is sent to another building where a turbine turns it into electricity. They replaced those steam generators, which are housed in the reactor building.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CANDU_reactor

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  • [–] 3 points 4 months ago (3 children)

    Oh my! They were talking about the "hot" to "cold" heat exchanger then. I never thought people would cut open a nuclear reactors protective building except for dismanteling. How the heck do they think they get it closed up again in a safe manner? They basically shot the integrity of the outer protective layer then.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    How the heck do they think they get it closed up again in a safe manner?

    You should email them an tell them they are stupid.

    They did not "Cut a hole", they removed an access panel designed for this exact purpose.

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  • [–] 2 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    So the headline was just a complete fuckup? Thanks. And no, I could not read the article.

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  • [–] 6 points 4 months ago

    Yes. Well not a “fuck up” because it wasn’t an accident. Headlines must make nuclear sound as dangerous and scary as possible, or the paper owner won’t get their bribe check from the oil companies.

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