Hey everybody,

As you may have heard, on TV channels such as CNN, MSNBC etc., TMI (Three Mile Island) has recieved a few threats.

I don't live too far away from the plant, so..well, if it blows up I probably won't be posting at WHT too much anymore :) :confused:

You mean if it almost blows up again dont you?

http://www.ee.rochester.edu:8080/programs/399Projects/TMIStudy/TMIIncident.html

LOL, they forgot to get FOX.... who cares about fox anyways, the only good thing that comes from them is MAD TV and the Simpsons ;) IMO

Read a comment about how the WTC planes flew over several nuclear power plants...would need well skilled pilots, but they hit the pentagon...

Originally posted by Cyberpunk
You mean if it almost blows up again dont you?

http://www.ee.rochester.edu:8080/programs/399Projects/TMIStudy/TMIIncident.html

It didn't "blow up"..something leaked

It would be extremely difficult to launch any sort of attack on a nuclear power plant. They are designed now so that even if a critical incident occurs within the core, the shielding will stop any significant radiative leak.

If an attack occured against a nuclear power plant, they would certainly shut the plant down to assess the damage, but there is no practical possibility of an attack causing more than superficial damage.

Thats why I said almost, but what a leak!

Originally posted by cperciva
If an attack occured against a nuclear power plant, they would certainly shut the plant down to assess the damage, but there is no practical possibility of an attack causing more than superficial damage.


I'd agree. Australia's only reactor at lucas heights is surrounded by something like 5m of solid concrete and steel from memory. It's a very tiny research reactor as standards go (not a power plant), but could certainly hold up to a serious attack (ironically, I remember taking a tour a couple of years back, and a chemical engineer there said something like, "A plane could hit that and we'd be fine"). I'm sure nuclear plants are set up in similar proportion... so I wouldn't be too worried about it blowing up, those things are very solid.

Originally posted by cperciva
It would be extremely difficult to launch any sort of attack on a nuclear power plant. They are designed now so that even if a critical incident occurs within the core, the shielding will stop any significant radiative leak.

If an attack occured against a nuclear power plant, they would certainly shut the plant down to assess the damage, but there is no practical possibility of an attack causing more than superficial damage.

I'm saying if an airliner went down on one or something..

Originally posted by mkaufman


I'm saying if an airliner went down on one or something..

It wouldn't be a problem. The WTC towers didn't collapse from the impact; they collapsed from the ensuing fire. Nuclear power plants are 99% concrete -- they won't burn.

Originally posted by cperciva


It wouldn't be a problem. The WTC towers didn't collapse from the impact; they collapsed from the ensuing fire. Nuclear power plants are 99% concrete -- they won't burn.

Take the Pentagon for example..that was a ton of concrete with steel re-inforcements and it went like 4 layers though into the MIDDLE of the building!

If an airliner hit one of those towers at TMI, it would explode..no doubt

One of the towers may collapse, but the reactor itself would most probably be fine. If the reactor was damaged, any radiation should be confined by numerous shields.

But I think we're arguing differing things here - certainly some of the building may go down, but the reactor itself should be safe.

I don't particularly want to speculate on what might happen. I'm just suggesting that there's not likely to be any more problems if a nuclear plant is attacked than if any other building is attacked.

I watched a program once where they tested a nuclear power station by crashing a fighter jet into it at 600mph. The jet vaporised and the building was fine :)

that must have been one expensive test! Still probably cheaper than the costs associated with what happens when they do blow up when they shouldn't...

Greg Moore