Bridge Angel: Brattleboro Bridge Is Grossly Out of Plumb and We All Face Imminent Danger

Reposted from 5/23

Update May 24

Has anyone ever seen the NHDOT inspect the vertical beams that connect the road deck to the big upper arch beams (two)? I have never seen that kind inspection in thirty years.. How do we know all the road deck vertical beams are connected to the big arch beam on the top of bridge? 

This below is the real plumb. You should check three or more beams on the Brattleboro side on your own. I wish I could do this on a bare metal area. I wouldn't dare scape off any paint on this bridge. I am afraid I would knock over the whole damn bridge. 

More worrisome is the new extreme vibrations going on at the bridge. It drastically worsened from a few years ago. It is really bad with a particular set of vehicles on the bridge. You have to spend some time on the bridge to feel its worst extreme vibrations. The worst is with a heavy vehicles. It is surprisingly bad with just one vehicle zipping across the bridge. There is little raised blocks on the pavement across the bridge. I think they were drilled out for a special inspection of what is beneath the bridge and then refilled with concrete. Those blocks again create a surprisingly amount of unneeded vibration. The totality of the vibrations are extremely abnormal even for this kind of bridge and the magnitude is "new". 

In the past, I asked the NHDOT to put vibration detectors on the bridge. It wouldn't be that expensive today. I image you could buy a cell phone capable vibration detector sending information to the NHDOT.    

So why hasn't the poor plumb of the bridge not been included in bridge inspections or vibration and monitored???

***This did not go as intended. You got to get your eyes or camera directly in front of the level bubble. I could make that bubble read anything I wanted by the angle of my camera. I am trying to be honest. On the left of me is cars rushing by me. I am more worried about fumbling my new phone, dropping it...then losing it in the river. I wasn't careful with the angel of the camera. I was nervous. I should have taken more time.  

This below is the Hinsdale side. The downstream side is too my left. The bubble is mostly perfect if you were directly in front of it. Generally, the plumb on this bridge favors the downstream side slightly. This picture represents the whole bridge. But the plumb is almost perfect here.     

The below is the Brattleboro side. I am so disappointed with these picture.s The plumb looks a lot more worst by your own eyes in the right position. My cheap level is a primitive device. The blow picture represents the west half of the bridge. We got a rather terrible plumb here. It is very bad. When did it happen?     

***The tiny Hinsdale bridge is closest to Hinsdale and the much more longer Brattleboro Bridge Is closest to Brattleboro...

Bridge Angel: Impending collapse of the Hinsdale-Brattleboro route 119 bridge!!!  

Bridge Angel: Impending Collapse of the Hinsdale-

Yahoo/Sent

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Michael Mulligan <steamshovel2002@yahoo.com>

  To:news@reformer.com

  ‎May‎ ‎23 at ‎11‎:‎31‎ ‎AM

  
  

  Dear Sir,

  
  

  I called about this yesterday.

  
  

  Come on, what civilian would ever take a level to inspect a bridge?

  
  

  As you come down Canal Street into Brattleboro, looking at the Hinsdale-Brattleboro bridge, the bridge is grossly tilting to the south. You can see the tilt with your eyes. It is grossly out of plumb. Get your level out and measure it yourself. The out of plumb gets massively worst from the Hinsdale side to the Brattleboro side. I think it is going to tip over?

  
  

  The little Hinsdale bridge is perfectly plumb all across the bridge. Why the difference??? 

  
  

  Mike Mulligan (aka bridge angel)

  Hinsdale, NH

South Texas Project Nuclear Plant: Example Of the Amazing Secrecy In The Industry

Began construction in about 1975. Why don't we know what is wrong with the piping insulation? My bet it is asbestos. Are they saying in the drywell or primary containment nationwide, the pipes are still insulated with a asbestos? Why didn't they admit it today.

I worked on shift at Vermont Yankee with this guy Don. I will never forget him. He had two daughters, man were they lookers. We talked about his teenage daughter problems for a decade. They were really good girls. But they had there issues with boys. Don would say boy after boy dismayingly, the guys were absolutely slavish to his girls. Right, we all are. He kept saying these young guys were poor examples of manhood. Everyone one of them.

I was there for his bitching surrounding a new cough. It went on to repeated bouts of pneumonia. The local swamp doctors had no idea what was going on. He had Asbestosis. He knew it was losing battle, as we all did. He got one lung cut out. I visited him in his last week of life. He told me it is like drowning for years. It was a beyond horrific death. He broke his new nuclear industry working teeth in at a secret Department of Defense nuclear plant in Alaska. Then worked many years at Oyster Creek until escaping to Vermont Yankee. He never graduated from High School. He was a aux operator for life. We had stainless steel mirror insulation first in Vermont Yankee's drywell.         

Vermont Yankee was loaded with Asbestos. They finally took it out. It is a shadow over everyone's life.

STP awarded for Nuclear Industry Innovation

Wadsworth - Employees from South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) received a Top Innovative Practice (TIP) award from the Nuclear Energy Institute for solving an industry-wide concern that would have required substantial insulation removal from piping and associated radiation exposure risk. 

The award was presented during this year’s Nuclear Energy Assembly, hosted by the Nuclear Energy Institute in Atlanta, Ga. The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry’s policy organization.

This solution, which was accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, provided a solution that preserved a high level of nuclear safety, meant a significant savings of radiation exposure to employees who would have been required to remove the piping insulation, and resulted in a cost savings of approximately $43 million.

The innovation was awarded as a risk-informed resolution of an industry-wide General Safety Issue-191 (GSI-191).

“I am proud of the persistence and effort of the STP team over many years,” said Dave Rencurrel, senior vice president, Operations. “We came up with an innovative, risk-informed solution that guards safety and benefits our industry.”

“Innovations like the ones celebrated today help ensure nuclear power plants continue to run safely and stay competitive in today’s marketplace,” Sue Perkins-Grew, senior director of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, said at the TIP awards ceremony.

The TIP awards celebrate industry leaders for new practices, enhanced processes and improved technology. To be considered for an award, the process or practice must be implemented and address one or more of the following criteria: innovations, safety, cost-savings impact, productivity/efficiency, transferability, communications, or vision and leadership.

STPNOC was one of 12 awardees recognized at the awards luncheon in Atlanta. The award winning team includes Steve Blossom, Mike Murray, Ernie Kee, Wayne Harrison, Drew Richards, Wes Schulz, Rob Engen, Kristin Kaspar and Fatma Yilmaz.              

We Are In A Profound Economic Boom, Is That Good For New Build Vogtle?

Think About it. Is the economic boom going to worsen? That sucking sound, it is stealing labor from Vogtle. There must be severe labor shortages all around this plant. The gigantic Atlanta area dominates this state. This is going to continue on for years...

ENG: Plant Vogtle Needs Hundreds More Craft Workers to Meet Schedule

State construction monitors are skeptical that builders of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion can overcome a daunting labor shortage and meet Georgia Power’s accelerated project schedule. In testimony submitted June 6 to the Georgia Public Service Commission, the monitors stated that general contractor Bechtel will need a “significant increase in production” to meet the owner’s accelerated schedule that anticipates completion of Units 3 and 4 by April 2021 and April 2022, respectively. Noting that “the number of craft on site will need to be increased significantly” to meet the accelerated schedule, the monitors estimated Bechtel would need to hire roughly 400 more electricians and 700 more pipefitters to meet production goals.

Fitz's Junk 2 and 3 stage SRVs: 3 Stage Calibration Issues Euphemism For Mechanical Production Defects

There is more of a story on the 3 stage defects. These are a new design. These valves originally came with the plant. They had numerous problems with these and got rid of them. They replaced them with the 2 stage. The 2 stage leaked and failed testing most of the time, this is the reason why they went back to the 3 stage. Remember the Pilgrim plant went to the 3 stage in 2011 leading to eventual grand failure of the valves and the plant closure.

LER

Remember there are so called calibration problems in other "new" 3 stage plants. I don't think they can control the manufacturing characteristics of the components and the 3 stage are just too complex for the duty of the valves. I anticipate as theses valves aged into a plant, maybe two or three cycles...they will magically become too erratic to keep in the plant. Then they will got back to the 2 stage in an expedited manner just like Pilgrim. 

The 3 stage is prone to opening according to the NRC    

I going hunting for calibrated issues in other new 3 stage SRVs!!!

ABSTRACT (Limit to 7400 spaces, i.e., approximately 15 single-spaced typewritten lines) The As-Found test results for the eleven Safety/Relief Valve (S/RV) pilot assemblies removed and replaced during the 2017 Refueling Outage at James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant (JAF) identified ten (10) S/RV pilot assemblies that lifted outside of the allowable tolerance required by Technical Specification Surveillance Requirement 3.4.3.1. Nine (9) two-stage S/RV’s were found out of tolerance high, and one three-stage was found out of tolerance low. The ten S/RV pilot assemblies are assumed to have been inoperable at some point in the operating cycle that preceded the 2017 Refueling Outage resulting in a condition reportable pursuant to 10 CFR 50.73(a)(2)(i)(B).
The S/RV design features an electric actuation capability that provides a diversified means of opening the S/RV’s despite the out of tolerance condition. However, the electric lift function is considered a backup to the mechanical S/RV’s and is not credited in the accident analysis. Therefore, the TS inoperability of the ten (10) S/RV’s also resulted in a condition reportable pursuant to 10 CFR5O.73(a)(2)(v)(D).
The cause of the two-stage failures has been identified as corrosion bonding; the cause of the three-stage failure is attributed to calibration and subsequent setpoint drift. The safety consequences associated with this event are considered low due to the electric actuation capability.


Background The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code requires the reactor pressure vessel be protected from overpressure during upset conditions by self-actuated safety valves. As part of the nuclear pressure relief system, the size and number of SIRVs are selected such that peak pressure in the Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary (RCPB) will not exceed the ASME Code limits.
The James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant (JAF) used ten (10) two-stage and one (1) three-stage Target Rock Safety/Relief Valves (S/RV) [EIIS Identifier: SB] for emergency pressure relief during operating Cycle 22. These valves are located on the main steam lines between the reactor vessel, and the first isolation valve within the drywell. Each S/RV discharges steam through a discharge line to a point below the minimum water level in the suppression pool.
The S/RVs can actuate by either of two modes: the safety mode or the relief mode. In safety mode (or spring mode of operation), the spring-loaded pilot valve opens when steam pressure at the valve inlet overcomes the spring force holding the pilot valve closed. Opening the pilot valve allows a pressure differential to develop across the main valve piston and opens the main valve. This satisfies the code requirement.
Each S/RV can be opened manually in the relief mode from the control room by its associated two-position switch. If one of these switches is placed in the open position the logic output will energize the associated S/RV solenoid control valve directing the pneumatic supply to open the valve. Seven of the installed S/RV solenoid control valves can also be energized by the relay logic associated with the Automatic Depressurization System (ADS).
During each refueling outage all eleven of the pilot assemblies are removed and replaced with vendor tested and certified components. The pilots that are removed are sent to a vendor facility for testing, refurbishment, and certification. The test results for pilot assemblies removed in 2017, during Refueling Outage 22, identified ten (10) S/RV pilot assemblies that were out of allowable tolerance. Nine (9) of the pilots (all two-stage) lifted at greater than the allowable setpoint range, and one (three-stage) lifted at less than the allowable setpoint range.
In order to address the concerns with corrosion bonding, JAF will commence replacement of two-stage with three-stage Target Rock S/RVs in the next Refueling Outage (RO). Industry experience has shown that the three stage S/RVs are less susceptible to corrosion bonding. The design of the three-stage S/RVs produces a greater mechanical force on opening, resulting in a greater likelihood of overcoming any potential effects of corrosion bonding that might occur.
Event Description As-Found testing was performed on all eleven main S/RV pilot assemblies removed in 2017, during R022. The testing was conducted by NWS Technologies. The TS setpoint for each S/RV is 1145 +1- 34.3. During the initial lift test, ten of the eleven pilot assemblies failed to open within the allowable range (1110.7 to 1179.3). Nine of the ten two-stage and the three-stage S/RV pilot failed high and low outside the allowable range, respectively. As-Found failed test results are tabulated below.
NRC FORM 366A (06-201 6) Page 2 of 4
NRC FORM 366A U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION APPROVED BY 0MB: NO. 3150-0104 EXPIRES: 03131/2020 (04-2017) Estimated burden per response to comply with this mandatory collection request: 80 hours. Reported ,“ “., LICENSEE EVENT REPORT (LER) lessons learned are incorporated into the licensing process and fed back to industry. Sendcomments ‘‘‘ CONTINUATION SHEET regarding burden estimate to the FOIA, Privacy and Information Collections Branch (1-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to / lnfocoIlects.Resourcenrc.gov, and to the Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, NEOB-10202, (3150-0104), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. If a means
. . .
used to impose an information collection does not display a currently valid 0MB control number, the (See NUREG-1 022, R.3 for instruction and guidance for completing this form NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, the informahon collechon. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/srl 022Ir3I)
1. FACILITY NAME 2. DOCKET NUMBER 3. LER NUMBER YEAR SEQUENTIAL REV James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant 05000 — 333 NUMBER NO. 2017 —004 —01
Table 1 — As-Found Test Results
In-service Pilot Serial First Test Acceptance Range Location Number (psig) (1110.7— 1179.3 psig)
O2RV-71A 1088 1184 Unsat—High
O2RV-71B 1080 1254 Unsat—High 02RV71C(a) 51 1103 Unsat—Low
O2RV-71E 1235 1245 Unsat—High
O2RV-71F 1195 1183 Unsat—High
O2RV-71G 1194 1202 Unsat—High
O2RV-71H 1111 1228 Unsat—High
O2RV-71J 1192 1242 Unsat—High
O2RV-71K 1193 1239 Unsat—High
O2RV-71L 1056 1214 Unsat-High (a)Three.Stage
Cause JAF has extensive internal Operating Experience with the S/RVs failing higher than the allowable setpoint. Causal evaluations identified corrosion bonding as the cause for the upward setpoint drift on the two-stage S/RVs. The As-Found test results shown above in conjunction with the successful second lift of all two-stage valves support this conclusion. Corrosion bonding is a crevice corrosion phenomenon that occurs between highly polished metals in a wetted solution in close proximity to each other. This close proximity (usually a gap of between 0.1 and 100 iJm) creates a crevice-like condition between the two wetted surfaces setting up the conditions for crevice corrosion to occur. An oxygen rich environment is created by the accumulation of oxygen in the area of the pilot disc due to the breakdown of water into hydrogen and oxygen. Susceptible material in the tight geometry with exposure to oxygen and high temperatures are the conditions which cause corrosion bonding in JAF S/RVs. There is extensive industry experience with corrosion bonding in the Target Rock two-stage S/RVs pilot assemblies. 

As stated above, the three-stage S/RV pilot valve failed the As-Found testing low. Disassembly and testing was performed by NWS Technologies to determine cause. NWS concluded that the three-stage S/RV pilot was originally calibrated within the lower half of the acceptance range in the OEM specification. Calibration within the lower half of the acceptance range resulted in a greater setpoint drift, which ultimately resulted in the S/RV pilot being outside the allowable range.
“
“i., LICENSEE EVENT REPORT (LER) lessons learned are incorporated into the licensing process and fed back to industry. Sendcomments ‘*, CONTINUATION SHEET regarding burden estimate to the FOIA, Privacy and Information Collections Branch (T-5 F53), U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, or by e-mail to lnfocolIects.Resourcenrc.gov, and to the Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, ** NEOB-10202, (3150-0104), Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503. If a means
. .
used to impose an information collection does not display a currently valid 0MB control number, the (See NUREG-1 022, R.3 for instruction and guidance for completing this form NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, the information collection. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1022/r3/)
1. FACILITY NAME 2. DOCKET NUMBER 3. LER NUMBER YEAR SEQUENTIAL REV James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant 05000 — 333 NUMBER NO. 2017 —004 —01
External
• Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 1: LER-16-004 “Safety Relief Valves As Found Not Meeting Tech Spec Surveillance Criteria,” May 26, 2016 • Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, Unit 2: LER-08-004 “Safety Relief Valves Allowable Exceeded Due to Setpoint Drift,” August 12, 2008
Corrective Actions Future Corrective Actions • Commence replacement of S/RVs with redesigned three-stage (R023) Previous Corrective Actions • Installed Stellite 21 discs in all eleven S/RV pilot assemblies during refurbishment at the vendor facility • Installed the S/RV Electric Lift System recommended by the Boiling Water Reactor Owner’s Group • Installed enhanced insulation on the S/RVs
Safety Significance Nuclear Safety Actual Consequences There were no actual consequences to the general safety of the public, nuclear safety, industrial safety, or radiological safety associated with this event.
Potential Consequences The potential consequences of this event are associated with the over-pressurization of the Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary. The S/RVs provide overpressure protection for the Reactor Coolant Pressure Boundary as required by the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Events similar to the one reported herein may be significant if design limits are challenged. The potential consequences of this event are considered low based on the operation and availability of the Electric Lift System.
Radiological Safety There was no radiological safety impact associated with this event.
Industrial Safety There was no industrial safety impact associated with this event.
References • Issue Report No. 04077124, R22 SRV As-Found Testing Failures • Issue Report No. 04082823, R22 3-Stage SRV As-Found Testing Failure • JAF Technical Specifications

The Magnitude of the Financial Troubles in the Nuclear Industry

Nuclear power shutdowns could cut energy prices, increase air pollution: Penn State, TMI weigh in  

Updated 5:55 AM; Posted 5:55 AM 

While a study, soon to be published by a Penn State researcher, shows nuclear power shutdowns will not spike power prices, Three Mile Island officials counter that is not the case, and the increased cost would come with more air pollution. (File. )

By Steve Marroni

smarroni@pennlive.com

As the shutdown of Three Mile Island seems imminent, researchers at Penn State released a study indicating that, despite the economic woes this could mean for some in the community, power prices will remain steady.

And that is because natural gas power plants will be able to fill the void left behind by nuclear power at a lower cost, according to Seth Blumsack, associate professor of energy policy and economics at Penn State.

Both Three Mile Island and the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station near Pittsburgh have cited financial troubles due to low electricity prices, and in his study, to be published in an upcoming issue of The Electricity Journal, Blumsack says those rock-bottom power prices are expected to continue for years to come.

But Three Mile Island Vice President of Government Affairs David Fein said the closure of the plants would result in a significant economic impact - meaning the loss of 1,700 full time jobs at the plants and thousands of related jobs, like workers at restaurants and shops serving plant employees and their families.

And there is one other thing.

"If you care about the air we breathe, it neglects the harmful air emissions that come from fossil-fuel plants," Fein said about the Penn State findings. "If we lose the Beaver Valley and TMI plants, we're talking about putting 50 percent more cars on the roads. That's how much more carbon dioxide will be in the air."

Blumsack acknowledges his study focuses solely on energy prices and does not take into account environmental factors or fuel-security, but he argues the economics strongly support natural gas. 

According to his research, if TMI and Beaver Valley come offline and are not replaced, wholesale energy prices would rise 4 to 10 percent each year over a three-year period. When that lost nuclear capacity is replaced by natural gas, however, those same prices drop between 9 and 24 percent.

He also poses a triple-whammy against nuclear power plants, indicating:
Energy use has plateaued,
Efficient natural gas power plants operating at nowhere near peak production have come online,
And natural gas prices are projected to remain low.

"There's just so much extra generation capacity in this region," Blumsack said. "These nuclear power plants are big, but even if you were to lose these big power plants there's so much other generation capacity that can produce electricity at costs competitive with the nuclear plants that the market outcomes aren't going to change and the reliability of the grid won't be compromised."

In May, TMI failed for the fourth year to sell its power in the annual PJM energy capacity auction.

The plant lost $300 million over the last eight years, officials from the owning company, Exelon Corp., said last year. TMI has not been profitable for six years as a result of persistently low wholesale energy prices and market rules that treat polluting plants the same as emissions-free sources of power, Exelon says.

The plant is scheduled to close on September 30, 2019, barring any changes at the government level to compensate nuclear power for its low-carbon pollution emissions.

And that's one of Three Mile Island's arguments. As it stands now, nuclear power plants are not permitted to participate in clean energy programs, though they provide 93 percent of the clean energy out there, Fein said.

The other options are less reliable or harmful to the environment, too, he added.

"It's intermittent with wind or solar and its dirtier fuel if you're going to rely on gas or coal," Fein said. "You'll see an increase in carbon emissions."

Fein added retiring the plants "would really erase the clean-energy gains we've made throughout the whole PJM region over the last 25 years."

And Fein said the costs calculated in the Penn State study come to a different sum than another study from the Brattle Group economic consultants, showing the retirement of these plants would actually cost Pennsylvania $285 million annually in higher electric bills.

But Blumsack cited the World Bank Natural Gas Price Forecast indicating there would have to be a 300 percent increase in natural gas prices in the Appalachian trading hubs for nuclear power to again be competitive.

"The competition is really fierce and it's essentially being driven by really low natural gas prices," Blumsack said.

While the two plants also employ about 1,700 people, Blumsack says the public cost to retain these facilities would be about $200,000 for each job preserved.

Blumsack's research is part of a larger effort among a team at Penn State's Initiative for Sustainable Electric Power Systems that looks at issues confronting conventional and renewable energy markets as well as how rapidly moving shifts in the electricity market will impact consumers and businesses.