Exclusive: WANTED: U.S. workers for crippled Japan nuke plant

I'll go. What's the worst that could happen? I piss my pants and forget my name for 30 minutes?

reply to post by Analyze76

I have been a nuclear millwright....

I have no problem listening to someone like you.

They are asking for TRAINED personnel. This means (hopefully) the people KNOW the risks.

I think we all agree they can not just walk off and leave it. So something does have to be done and that means you have to have people do it.

The best info I can find is:
The world Nuclear Assoc: www.world-nuclear.org...

...The AC electricity supply from external source was connected to all units by 22nd, enabling more accurate monitoring of the plants and progress towards restoring the RHR cooling system of units 1-3. Power was restored to instrumentation in all units except unit 3 by 25th. Tepco said that once the control rooms are operational, water levels can be checked as well as temperatures in the fuel storage pools, and normal cooling of those pools can be resumed. However, at least some pumps have been damaged by seawater and Tepco says that radiation levels inside the plant are so high that normal access is still impossible. It is giving priority to removing contaminated water so as to allow better access.

Summary on 30 March: All three units have fuel damage and low water levels, units 2 & 3 have lost pressure and are suspected to have pressure vessel or containment damage (only unit 1 is still above atmospheric pressure). Cooling still needs to be provided from external sources, using fresh water and pump trucks. Tepco has said that it is inevitable that the three reactors, with unit 4, will be written off and decommissioned....

I would assume the workers are needed to decommissioned the reactors.

One of the best jobs i had was doing Hot Work(Jumper) at a nuclear power plant.

2 hours schooling on what we were to do.
4 hours practicing on a mock up
15 minutes doing the job.
And a paycheck far more then the navy was paying me monthly at the time.(1970s)

The navy found out about it and put a stop to them using navy personal.

From a ex next door neighbor that is a operator there San Onofre Nuclear Plant still uses hot workers but you have to get a security clearance now(due to the terrorist out there) and get on there list.
Most of the guys that are at the head of the list are older retired navy nuke operators that are in it for the extra money above there navy retirement.
They use industrial construction workers and industrial plant shutdown workers that are skilled a using hand tools fast.as the jobs need to be done without missteps.
And you can only do it once a month. And they cross check with other nuke power plants to make sure you are not cheating,

Since they are not looking for Jumpers its likely there operators are getting too high of dosage and have to be rotated out of the area and they need new operators to rotate in to run the control rooms till there operators can come back due to them reaching there dosage limits.

Originally posted by ANNED
One of the best jobs i had was doing Hot Work(Jumper) at a nuclear power plant.

2 hours schooling on what we were to do.
4 hours practicing on a mock up
15 minutes doing the job.
And a paycheck far more then the navy was paying me monthly at the time.(1970s)

The navy found out about it and put a stop to them using navy personal.

From a ex next door neighbor that is a operator there San Onofre Nuclear Plant still uses hot workers but you have to get a security clearance now(due to the terrorist out there) and get on there list.
Most of the guys that are at the head of the list are older retired navy nuke operators that are in it for the extra money above there navy retirement.
They use industrial construction workers and industrial plant shutdown workers that are skilled a using hand tools fast.as the jobs need to be done without missteps.
And you can only do it once a month. And they cross check with other nuke power plants to make sure you are not cheating,

edit on 31-3-2011 by ANNED because: (no reason given)

The checks were in before 9/11. If you left out drinking in public you were out.

reply to post by crimvelvet


Your right they were trying to get them stable. They have to build (concrete) forms now and try to encase it. Pour grout in every orafice. Concrete may cure too quick.

They have some work to do.

reply to post by Analyze76


Rediculous. An exothermic heat transfer from curing concrete is the last thing these reactors need. It is like watching a car accident in slow motion.