February 28, 2004

Driving up to the nuclear power station, I wasn't sure what to expect from the day's tour. I suppose that guaranteed surprises for me, but none as big as for some others at the vehicle checkpoint on the way in. My car cleared but the sniffer machines picked up traces of heroin in my friend Lori's truck (turned out to be different medication) and TNT on my friend Jason's jeep (he had recently driven through NASA's Plum Brook facility which used to be a munitions manufacturing plant). Let's just say that the security during our visit made airports look like shopping malls.

I did find some interesting things out for myself though. It turns out it's easier for us to contaminate their clean areas than it is to be contaminated there since they are much more anal about their cleanliness. I found out that my Canon 70-200 2.8 L zoom lens is radioactive enough to spike their sensing equipment. Apparently the fluorite coatings on the lenses emit some natural radiation. There's a reason they suggested wearing all cotton garments. We were told radioactive particles love to cling to the static electricity that fabrics like rayon are so good at making. Good fact to know for the next time you find yourself walking into a reactor containment vessel.

As often as I think about radiation contamination during the course of my day, I was surprised by the procedures associated with touring the containment vessel. You have to realize that while you will be standing about 20 feet from a live nuclear reactor, it's not like vacationing in Chernobyl. They don't keep piles of uranium in the corner (turns out the building is round anyway) Now this doesn't mean there aren't tiny radioactive particles on pipes or the floor, so precautions must still be taken. And who knew precautions could make *such* a fashion statement? During a previous project I joked with friends about making a Tyvek suit. Along with a rubber bootie and gloves ensemble, I can safely say: mission accomplished. I have worn Tyvek.

Being on the other side of the airlock, inside the vessel, is a strange feeling. Uncomfortable doesn't even begin to do it justice. I can only describe it as the most physically and mentally unnerving place I've even been. For starters, you are wearing long cotton pants and shirt and are covered by a buttoned Tyvek lab coat, (Tyvek is used as a moisture barrier for houses) cotton and rubber gloves and paper and rubber booties. It is a darkly lit cement space, the temperature at the upper levels is 120 degrees fahrenheit and even with earplugs, the noise is deafening. You aren't even supposed to touch your own exposed skin, earplugs or your glasses. And, oh yeah, you're standing next to an active nuclear reactor. What's not to like?

Adding the two tests before we entered, myself and my equipment went through no less than 9 separate radiation detection procedures after exiting. The most interesting tests made it look like you were like standing in a non rotating human-sized rotisserie grill, like those at your local gyro restaurant. They were made of metal sheets with lots of small holes drilled into them. I made it through the detectors clean but a few others in my group had to surrender their contaminated hard hats. At least we didn't need to submit to the most common decontamination removal material they use. Masking tape.

After seeing the facility firsthand, I was impressed by how much work and improvement was done. I do believe the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant is now one of the safest in the country. Lew Meyers and the rest of the crew should be proud of their work. What Lew should be ashamed of is the fact that it took a near catastrophic failure for them to fully address all the apparent problems at the plant. They did a great job but only at the insistence of the NRC and the public. First Energy also operates the Perry and Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Stations.

Photos by DANIEL MILLER
Vince Vassello, at left, Ron Purk and Greg Walter man the control room at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004. The power station has been shut down for 2 years while the reactor head was replaced due to corrosion damage. Repairs have been completed and it is now up to the Nuclear Regulatory Comission to authorize a restart.

Environmental and Chemistry Manager Patrick McCloskey crouches while looking at the clean floor nest to the turbine and generator unit at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004.

This is me in the dressing room after putting on the full protective outfit including paper and rubber booties, cotton and rubber gloves, a Tyvek lab coat, hard hat (on backwards for camerawork) and safety goggles.

Joe McAdoo, from First Energy, opens the main airlock to allow our group access to the reactor containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station.

The newly replaced reactor head sits in the containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004.

A painted American flag adorns the dome of the containment vessel at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio, Friday, Feb, 27, 2004. The flag was painted at the same time the acre-sized dome was stripped and recoated.

The Davis-Besse cooling tower rises up well past the power lines near the exit road from the facility.

Posted by Daniel at February 28, 2004 03:24 PM | TrackBack