Category Archives: Technology

Idaho, Technology, U.S.

Ghostly Nuke Train rollin’ ‘cross Idaho desert

Text: AAron Hutchins

Photo by: Alex Hutchins

Across a cold windswept east Idaho desert, people say you can hear the nuke train haulin’ its contaminated cargo.  The short track rails start nowhere, and end nowhere.  You might even see the sickly yellow locomotive yourself, if your lucky and don’t miss the turn off  (for directions see earlier posting “Ancient Nuclear Powered Jet…”).

Lead-lined train in the Arco desert in Eastern Idaho.

OK, so there’s no ghost train, but, in the middle of nowhere, along side the world’s first nuclear powered jet engine, sits an odd shaped yellow locomotive. It’s not nuclear powered, but it is lead lined, to protect the crew from radiation exposure when hauling the huge HTRE units that make up the nuclear jet engine.

General Electric, who ran the nuke jet project, had rail lines built to haul the huge engine from one test area to the next.  In a 2005 document, the Department of Energy explained that “shielding” of various equipment from radiation, like the lead-lined locomotive, were based on 1950s understandings of radiation.

Two sets of tracks were laid for the program.  The locomotive rode on the inner rails of the two tracks, pulling, or pushing the HTRE units.  The HTRE units rode on both sets of tracks, they were that wide.  (More pics in the “Galleries” section, click on the “INL Nuclear Power Site” pic. Click on the pics to make them bigger.).

The nuke train had a top speed of 3.5 miles per hour, but, for safety reasons traveled at 2.5 mph.  For a detailed (and boring) explanation you can go to this website: www.inl.gov/technicalpublications/Documents/3028280.pdf Supposedly there are period photos in the document, but they didn’t show up for me.

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) used to be known as INEEL, before that INEL, before that ERDA and before that NRTS.  The names changes coincide with changes in government agencies controlling the “site”, in the early days, and changes in contractors who now run the site.

 

Technology

Iran diversifying elecrical power generation

Iran isn’t relying on their nuclear plant for providing lots of power. They’ve been developing other forms of power generation.

It includes hydroelectric, steam power and natural gas fired plants. At the end of 2009 they finished a solar powered plant. Now they are going to build more steam powered plants and even wind farms.

The goal is to add another 5,000 mega watts to their system. Officials claim that all the non-nuclear energy programs use 100% domestically produced materials. Gee, isn’t that kinda what President Obama talked about for the United States?

 

Technology

Iran will export nuclear technology

“We should not only be able to use all our capacities and potentials in the (civilian) nuclear technology, but also export nuclear know-how.”-Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

During a speech for ‘National Day of Nuclear Technology’, President Ahmadinejad stated that Iran should master all nuclear technologies. He also said Iran should join other countries, like the U.S., in exporting its nuclear know how.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Iran says the Russians considered quakes when building their nuke plant

“The Russians have taken the existence of tectonic plates into consideration in designing the Bushehr nuclear plant.”-Nasser Rastkhah, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran

Recently Russia helped Iran with loading of nuclear fuel rods into their plant. The Bushehr nuke plant is scheduled to power up by May.  ‘Sensitive phases of operation’ would be conducted between May 5 through May 10.

 

Fukushima, Technology

What does “Half Life” for Iodine-131 mean?

The following is from Kyodo News.

Radioactive iodine-131 has a half-life of eight days, meaning that its effect will be reduced to half in eight days, one-fourth in 16 days and one-sixteenth in 32 days.

Half life for cesium-137 is 30 years.

Fukushima, Technology

Portable Generators sell out in Japan, another lesson to be learned

According to The Japan Times, portable generators are almost sold out, thanks to the 11 March 2011 disasters.  Also, because of power outages (ironic), and parts supply problems, producers will not be able to meet current (pun; electric generators) demand.

“We’re completely out. We ran out three days after the quake, but we’ve been receiving orders from hospitals and factories every day.” -Ryuzo Nishikawa, Fuji & Yamaha generator salesman

Yahoo Japan has actually been auctioning off Honda generators. The highest bid so far is ¥178,000 (about U.S. $2,000.00).

Lesson: If you got the money, buy the damn generator BEFORE the disaster!

Fukushima, Technology

Japan now blames Weathermen for lack of radiation data

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Japan Meteorological Agency delayed releasing info on radiation data.  He also said, that when the data was released it was so confusing that it has added to the problem of getting people out of harms way.

And as an example of overlapping authority, Meteorological Agency officials say they thought the data was only to be reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency.  They pointed out that the ‘data’ was a only computer projection, a simulation, of what could happen, not actual real time data!

 

Business/Economics, Fukushima, Technology

Just how much do we rely on Petroleum? No ink, no bleach, no tape, no Shonen Jump

You wouldn’t believe how much we use petroleum products (oil & natural gas) in our everyday lives. The people of Japan are finding out the hard way.

The 11 March 2011 quake/tsunami has resulted in several petroleum plants closing down, due to damage and power cuts. Those plants turn oil and natural gas into everyday products.

How would you like disposable diapers with no tape to seal it shut? Unicharm Corporation discontinued production of special tape used to wrap diapers because of a lack of the chemical needed to make the tape.

Are you one of those people who just have to have your whites their whitest when doing the laundry? No bleach. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co has stopped production at its Kashima factory, because of lack of electricity.

Love your Manga? The publisher of mangas including Shonen Jump, is delaying publication because there’s no ink. Maruzen Petrochemical Co stopped production of Diisobutylene, a chemical product used to make ink. Amazingly Maruzen is the only producer of Diisobutylene in Japan, so bye, bye Manga.

Idaho, Technology, U.S.

Ancient Nuclear Powered Jet Engine found in Idaho Desert, Proof of Ancient Alien Visitors?

Image

Text: AAron Hutchins

Photos by: Alex Hutchins (click on the pics to make them bigger. More pics, including plaques that explain HTRE, in the Galleries section, click on the INL Nuclear Power Site)

Barely noticeable from the two lane highway, sitting literally in the middle of nowhere, a brick building with some strange caged objects next to it. Getting any closer doesn’t help you identify the metallic two story tall objects, behind locked fences with barbed wire on top. They seem extraterrestrial. Perhaps some ancient Alien visitors left behind their space vehicle?

HTRE-3

It’s like something out of X-Files. But this isn’t Area 51, in Nevada.  It’s not Roswell, New Mexico.  It’s eastern Idaho, and today is windy and cold.  As my son Alex said, “It’s Big Wind.”

As far as ‘ancient’ goes, well, some people might think 1950s is ancient.  That’s when the strange twisted metal craft first appeared. Extraterrestrial?  Many people in the 1950s thought the scientists of the day were out of this world with their crazy ideas, like nuclear powered jet aircraft.

Taking Exit 93 off Interstate 15, turn west towards Arco. Stay on Highway 26 for about 40 miles.  As you drive the lonely 40 miles you’ll pass the big “Welcome to the INL” sign. Then you’ll come to an intersection, make a left, just follow the arrows to Arco. You’ll see building complexes to your right, that’s part of the main Idaho National Laboratory complex.

INL Entrance

At that point pay attention to your left. You should see a lone building in the distance, EBR-1, the world’s first nuclear reactor. That’s where the strange alien vehicle looking things are. There should be a left turn lane coming up, with signs for EBR-1.  Make the turn, then another left turn lane, again follow the sign for EBR-1.

It’s a desolate place, my son and I were the only ones there that windy, cold day.  We passed a couple of parked cars on the roadside, with no one in them, out in the middle of nowhere, mmm.

EBR-1

There they are, like something left behind, and forgotten, by some advanced species, in the middle of the vast, windy East Idaho desert, HTRE-1, 2 & 3.  The three huge Heat Transfer Reactor Experiments units making up world’s first nuclear powered turbine engine. Intentionally twisted metal, big pipes, gigantic turbos, and two little jet engine exhaust at the back. Don’t think these guys are safe, they’re radiation warning signs all over.  Many of the openings and fittings are sealed off.  Even the giant weld seams on the reactor have been recently coated with a white colored material.

Nuclear powered jet engines and the lead-lined train that pulled them.

Some people would say that only an evil scientist would come up with such a thing. Maybe they’re right? General Electric spent one billion taxpayer dollars on the project, before it was canceled by President Kennedy in 1961. And that’s 1950s dollars, whew!

There are several informational plaques that give the visitor more understandable, and more interesting, info than what I found on the internet. Like “Operation Wiener Roast”. They actually burned a nuclear turbine engine to see if dangerous levels of radiation would be spread if a nuclear powered aircraft crashed.

Operation Wiener Roast

Testing of the reactor turbine was successful, but an actual aircraft was never developed. The program was conducted in Idaho, in Test Area North, of what is now called the INL.  The project was managed by the U.S. Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission.  There’s lots more information on the signs, you need to go there to look for yourself.

One things for sure, this archeological find proves that the U.S. government spent taxpayer dollars on some really far out stuff in the 1950s.

Radiation signs next to jet engines.

Lead-lined train in the Arco desert in Eastern Idaho. Photo by Alexander Hutchins.

GHOSTLY NUKE TRAIN ROLLIN’ ‘CROSS IDAHO DESERT