There are fans in the roof of the turbine building. The gas most likely was dispersed through this manner. The amount of hydrogen here carries a lot of energy and there always is a fear of detonation. It could blow off the siding and injure a lot of people. How would you like the end of plant operations to be precipitated by this kind of explosion or event? There is a possibility the leak began in the stator cooling system in the basement.
A uncontrollable cascade of plant problems...
Wiki: The butterfly effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects. Initially, it was used with weather prediction but later the term became a metaphor used in and out of science.[1]
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. The name, coined by Edward Lorenz for the effect which had been known long before, is derived from the metaphorical example of the details of a hurricane (exact time of formation, exact path taken) being influenced by minor perturbations such as the flapping of the wings of a distant butterfly several weeks earlier. Lorenz discovered the effect when he observed that runs of his weather model with initial condition data that was rounded in a seemingly inconsequential manner would fail to reproduce the results of runs with the unrounded initial condition data. A very small change in initial conditions had created a significantly different outcome...
This isn't a normal release of hydrogen. This was a unintentional release due to operator error or a equipment malfunction.
Chaotic and erratic plant operations!!!!
How do we get here? Right, high ocean temperatures forced the unit to cycle up and down. We had a feedwater adventure at 91% power. Now this. Erratic plant operations!!! This is how the lessor nations operate their nuclear power plants. Plant design has a pipe going to way above the roof, where the hydrogen get dispersed in this way.
Power Reactor Event Number: 52231 Facility: PILGRIM
Region: 1 State: MA
Unit: [1] [ ] [ ]
RX Type: [1] GE-3
NRC Notified By: JOHN WHALLEY
HQ OPS Officer: STEVE SANDINNotification Date: 09/09/2016
Notification Time: 20:01 [ET]
Event Date: 09/09/2016
Event Time: 17:39 [EDT]
Last Update Date: 09/09/2016Emergency Class: NON EMERGENCY
10 CFR Section:
50.72(b)(2)(xi) - OFFSITE NOTIFICATIONPerson (Organization):
MEL GRAY (R1DO)
BERN STAPLETON (NSIR)
Event Text
Unit SCRAM Code RX CRIT Initial PWR Initial RX Mode Current PWR Current RX Mode 1 N N 0 Refueling 0 Refueling
OFFSITE NOTIFICATION - RELEASE OF HYDROGEN GAS IN EXCESS OF THE REPORTABLE QUANTITY OF TEN POUNDS
"At 1739 [EDT] on Friday September 9, 2016 the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Plymouth Massachusetts Fire Department were notified of a Hydrogen release in accordance with plant procedures and 310CMR40.300, Massachusetts Contingency Plan Notification for Oil and Hazardous Material; Identification and Listing of Oil and Hazardous Material, due to a release of hydrogen gas to the environment exceeding the reportable quantity of ten pounds. The Massachusetts DEP Tracking Number is RTN4-26311. The release was from the generator hydrogen cooling system. There was no plant damage. Hydrogen system pressure has been restored to the normal operating band with the Main Generator secured and is stable. The cause of the event is under investigation.
"This event posed no danger to the health and safety of plant personnel or members of the general public.
"The NRC Resident Inspector has been notified.''
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