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Three Mile Island Shuts Down After Pump Failure

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-bit-of-a-problem dept.

SchrodingerZ writes "The nuclear power station on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania shut down abruptly this afternoon. Its shutdown was caused when one of four coolant pumps for a reactor failed to work. 'The Unit 1 reactor shut off automatically about 2:20 p.m., the plant's owner, Exelon Corporation, reported. There is no danger to the public, but the release of steam in the process created "a loud noise heard by nearby residents," the company said.' If radiation was released into the environment, it is so low that it thus far has not been detected. The plant is a 825-megawatt pressurized water reactor, supplying power to around 800,000 homes, thought there has been no loss of electrical service. Three Mile Island was the site of a partial nuclear meltdown in 1979. The Unit 2 reactor has not been reactivated since."

6 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. And, cue shitstorm.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But, to be fair, isn't this how these things are suppose to work? Something fails, everything gracefully shuts down?

    1. Re:And, cue shitstorm.. by fredgiblet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes.

      Not that that's going to stop the shitstorm

    2. Re:And, cue shitstorm.. by bcmm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      To be fair to the shitstorm, there are historical reasons to be a bit worried when Exelon describe something as a planned release of steam with minimal release of radioactive material. Lets hold out for the NRC report.

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
  2. Add it all up by medcalf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Embassy attacks. Crap economy. Foreign policy humiliation. Three Mile Island. Am I the only one who didn't like 1979 the first time, and don't want a replay?

    --
    -- Two men say they're Jesus. One of them must be wrong. - Dire Straits
  3. Re:Three Mile Island is STILL open?!?!?! by tehcyder · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Implying Three Mile Island was even a big deal.

    If this was a fucking software discussion I'd be calling you a paid shill for the nuclear power industry now and getting modded up for it.

    But as the slashdot groupthink is that anyone who is not 100% a cheerleader for nuclear power is some tree-hugging commie, we all know what will happen.

    --
    To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  4. Pansies by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I live within the 10 mile "danger" zone (cue Kenny Loggins) and lived through the initial incident in 79. In fact, I was out delivering papers every day during the entire incident.

    This is nothing to be mentioned on a tech site. It has no relevance whatsoever other than the fact that the system did what it was supposed to.

    Stop the panicking and hyperbole about how bad nuclear energy is. Compared to the amount of health related issues coal has produced, nuclear energy ranks about as dangerous as rabbit attacks

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower