I saw on cnn that we were going to send ships to provide back-up power to some russian port that is used to store used soviet nuclear submarine reactors. Something about providing ship to shore power so the old reactors won't melt down in case of loss of cooling water.

Has anyone seen this story? Where is it that these reactors are stored? Will they melt like chernoble or three mile island?

-- pepe le pew (pepe@yahoo.com), December 05, 1999

Answers

Hadn't heard, but I'd feel proud of our boys for going over there to prevent an indident which, depending on the number of reactors, could be quite severe. Hope all goes well. Bet that's a Catch-22 for the Ruskies, damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don't. Horrible spot to be in.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 05, 1999.

Hokie,

I'm glad you're proud of our guys heading off to help Russia. I guess nothing is going wrong here, since the DoD seems to know what's good for us. Our leaders have shown a lot of prescience on the y2k issue, and I, like you, am so proud.

Thanks for sharing your remarkable insight.

sean

-- sean (absolutely@great.intellect), December 05, 1999.

No, thank you Sean.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 05, 1999.

My question is only how many ships, and so who's guarding my front door? The Atlantic Fleet is headquartered just across the River from me here in Virginia, so I do mean my front door here. Well now, I remember seeing something in the paper about it being called something else now, with those boys from FEMA joining with that commander of the Atlantic Fleet across my river here, but I can't say that I understood what that was all about. I just hope we have enough boys here to take care of our own too, just like you and all of us I suppose Sean.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 05, 1999.

Sorry folks - nice try, but it won't work.

The Soviets (like much in Europe) uses 50 Hz systems in their AC sides, we use 60 Hz AC. Voltage is different too, on the DC side. Simply making hookups is increadibly difficult, even between two ships on our Navy - when they are designed that way - like tenders and repair ships.

While power could be transferred (perhaps, using some miracle of electricty and power plants I'm not familair with) it's not practical.

Doing it wrong burns up things - big things.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), December 05, 1999.

Mr. Cook: It has been done before, the hooking up of power to non english standard power. You are correct that it is not easy or always stable, darn breaker tripped again. This doesn't sound right or isn't reported properly. If the reactor was removed then it would be in a state of "cold-iron" and would not need cooling. The only thing that might need cooling is the reactors that are on board ships. But again if shore power was lost the reactors could supply power for the ship and therefore not need shore power. Either this is all wrong or someone up there at Atlantic Command has lost their marbles or are giving away ours.

Maybe the emperor has decided that the great eastern friends would feel safer if we locked the dog in the garage and unlocked our front door. HHhhmmmm what's that I smell toast, jeeesshhh that's us.

By the by old reactors in cold iron condition will not melt down.

-- Squid (Itsdark@down.here), December 06, 1999.