Posts Tagged ‘japanese nuclear industry’

Not just Japan's problem

March 16th, 2011
By: Vicki Bell

I remember the first nuclear power plant I ever saw—the Byron Nuclear Generating Station located in Ogle County, Ill., two miles east of the Rock River. Construction began in 1975, and Units 1 and 2 became operational in 1985 and 1987 respectively. The project was rife with controversy.

The plant loomed large on the horizon, and I never passed it without glancing over and marveling at how eerie it appeared to me—like something from another world. 

I no longer live/drive near the plant, but I’m reminded of the days when I did—and the controversy— as I watch the horrific events unfolding in Japan. (more...)

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Critical laser cutting, welding tested in Japanese crisis

March 15th, 2011
By: Tim Heston

When news broke of the earthquake-damaged nuclear plant in Japan, my mind turned to Jim Bleigh at Performance Contracting Inc., a Lenexa, Kan., company The FABRICATOR covered earlier this year. His group of talented welders, laser cutting machine operators, and assemblers fabricated strainers designed for use in Japan’s nuclear power plants.

When researching the story, I learned that these strainers help prevent what I thought at the time was an extraordinarily unlikely scenario: a nuclear meltdown. Fully assembled, the strainers help filter debris so that the pumps never become clogged and the flow of water back to the reactor is never blocked.

The strainer was designed with 1-in.-thick stainless steel sections, literally thousands of them. Why 1 in. thick? As Bleigh told me, it was to meet the Japanese nuclear industry’s unique seismic requirements. The 1-in.-thick stainless steel components cut on the company’s 7-kW laser were built to withstand unthinkable disasters.

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