SEOUL, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- South Korea on this week shut down two nuclear reactors due to malfunctions.
The Shingori 1 in Busan, 280 miles south of Seoul, was shut down
after a problem was detected involving the control rod that governs the
rate of fission in the reactor, Yonhap News Agency reports.
About 2 hours later, the second reactor -- at Younggwang Nuclear
Power Plant in South Jeolla province, about 220 miles south of Seoul --
was shut down due to low water levels.
Officials at state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power said that
neither reactor was in danger of releasing radiation, Yonhap reports.
South Korea relies on nuclear energy for about 30 percent of its electricity needs. The country has 21 active nuclear reactors.
Despite safety concerns about nuclear power in the wake of Japan's
Fukushima nuclear power disaster in March 2011, Seoul has stood firm on
its commitment to increase that share to 40 percent by 2040.
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Showing posts with label Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Korea: Nuclear reactor shut down for safety reasons
Reactor 6 at Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant in South Jeolla province was shut down again on July 30 due to a malfunctioning reactor rod.
The reactor rod functions as a safety shield for reactors. The basic structure of a reactor can be simplified as follows: heat is produced when neutrons come into contact with uranium, and that heat turns the turbines to generate electricity.
The main challenge of reactor safety is keeping that fission stable. The Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear accident in history, occurred because the reactor rods were removed quickly, which stimulated fission. The repeated problems with Younggwang reactor 6 have residents in the area nervous. Reactor 6 first broke down during a 2002 trial run.
Since then, it has gone out of action 9 times in past 10 years. Among those cases, some were trivial, due to lightning strikes and a mistake on operation. But in Dec. 2008, the reactor was stopped because warning signals appeared, indicating the reactor rod was in the wrong position.
READ MORE...
The reactor rod functions as a safety shield for reactors. The basic structure of a reactor can be simplified as follows: heat is produced when neutrons come into contact with uranium, and that heat turns the turbines to generate electricity.
The main challenge of reactor safety is keeping that fission stable. The Chernobyl disaster, the worst nuclear accident in history, occurred because the reactor rods were removed quickly, which stimulated fission. The repeated problems with Younggwang reactor 6 have residents in the area nervous. Reactor 6 first broke down during a 2002 trial run.
Since then, it has gone out of action 9 times in past 10 years. Among those cases, some were trivial, due to lightning strikes and a mistake on operation. But in Dec. 2008, the reactor was stopped because warning signals appeared, indicating the reactor rod was in the wrong position.
READ MORE...
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