The "event horizon" in a nuclear plant control room

Message 7799 of 8998


From: "Mike Mulligan" <steamshovel2002@y...> Date: Tue Apr 20, 2004 1:18 pm Subject: Re: Human Errors

Friends,

You must have read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It’s on my best books list. I see this story different than most people. The way I see it - Frankenstein is a technological advance marvel. Frankenstein ended up being the ultimate victim. Aren't we doing that today with replacing body parts and cloning, by the way! The way I see it is Dr Frankenstein abandoned his progeny in disgust; he leftFrankenstein to travel in the winds and to the ends of the earth, to grow up as it seen fit without any fatherly attention –as many of us are doing with our young children in our own lives…

I believe that is what happened with the nuclear power industry. I believe the creative best and brightest of us – have abandoned the nuclear industry to the technocrats, the legal rule makers and pencil pushers. What is left is a mournful industry that is disconnected from the world - sad and angry because they are not loved and admired. I think the utility executives have set this in motion.

Here is a recent e-mail of mine to another group. This will have a bearing with my story later on.

mike mulligan
Hinsdale, NH

Not saying that at all –you have to read my comment carefully. But I think you are intentionally misinterpreting my comment for your own agenda.

The control room employees are extremely trained and skilled people. They absolutely know what is recorded–and they know the crew will be questioned later about their action –they can exactly predict what questioned will be asked. These guys are extremely intelligent–in that they can shape the disclosures of their responses to the outsider's which follows very closely what was recorded. It is easy as hell to do this because everyone is generally a lot less skilled with the plant.

After a plant scram –the crew spends a lot of time getting their story straight on their interpretation of the event and the recorded evidence. I can tell you for a fact –the control room crews are a loyal lot and tight group of individuals –very tight. They end up thinking that it is us –and the rest of the plant is against us. It is absolutely true -these outside crew people are bloodsuckers looking to make a career out of wrecking the careers of the operators.

Right, you got some 7AM to 3PM engineer or NRC inspector with very little control room experience, who comes in making a judgment against some recorded device –and the operator knows the recorded devices of the plant gives primitive information at best. Do you understand whatI mean –every scram is different from every past one–none are the same. These guys are constantly walking into the unknown –and I might add respond in a very skillful manner most of the time with the unknown. The problem is with these day shift people –they come into make a judgment with the plant in a stable condition –there is no surprises left, just the recorded event --they live in two completely different worlds.

Sitting on the "edge of time" in a control room –on that "event horizon"- on that "random generator" -is unlike any other human endeavor on this planet.

Thanks,
mike mulligan
Hinsdale, NH