1660604424096 Cg1207fukushima

Help for Fukushima?

July 4, 2012
Our Reader Alex DeVolpi Was Drawn Out of Retirement by the Fukushima Crisis. Find Out Why
Author
Alex DeVolpi, PhD, [email protected]
I'm a retired professional interested in Fukushima, and I've read and quoted your postings about nuclear-instrument limitations ("Lessons Learned," May, July, Sept. 2011; pgs. 16, 14, 38, respectively, and available online at www.controlglobal.com).

I agree in part with your analysis about Fukushima's core meltdowns, although I'm not as judgmental regarding the actions under chaotic conditions.

There is a now-expired patent "for the detection of in-core level" using a method "to correlate gamma radiation distribution inside and outside the reactor pressure vessel with the water level." Filed in 1984 and awarded in 1987, its title is "Monitoring System for a Liquid-Cooled Nuclear Fission Reactor." Regrettably, no action has been taken in the past 25 years that would have initiated retrofit for operating water-cooled reactors.

The patent was based on decades of relevant nuclear-diagnostic R&D at Argonne National Laboratory, and that work included studies involving Idaho reactors TREAT and LOFT using neutron/gamma hodoscope systems.

The Fukushima crisis has drawn me out of California retirement, and I've been active writing articles and stimulating revitalization of gamma water-level instrumentation studies at Argonne. I've also filed a provisional patent specific to the present circumstances at Fukushima, which I believe can be improved if they retroactively install a gamma-hodoscope monitoring system for determining water levels and fuel redistribution based on correlated decay gamma radiation—even more than a year after shutdown.

Ialso hope to reach responsible DOE and NRC officials with regard to helping the Japanese at Fukushima, and considering retrofit to operating light-water power reactors.

Sponsored Recommendations

Municipalities are utilizing inline total solids measurements to enhance sludge thickening, lower polymer usage and cut operational expenses.
Carbon dioxide is increasingly recognized as a vital resource with significant economic potential. While the conversion of carbon dioxide into products is still in its infancy...
Discover our wide range of temperature transmitters that convert sensor signals from RTDs and thermocouples into stable and standardized output signals!
An innovative amine absorption-based carbon capture process enables retrofitting of existing industrial facilities to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors, with advanced ...