Indeed the Swedes are doing it better than the USA...

2012-05-11T12:32:52.721-07:00

Indeed the Swedes are doing it better than the USA, the handling of spent fuel is a very important topic.

You asked about CLAB on another blog: CLAB is an ...

2012-05-11T06:21:22.623-07:00

You asked about CLAB on another blog:

CLAB is an intermediate storage of spent nuclear fuel. (Centralt Lager för Använt Bränsle, CLAB. My translation: Central Storage for Used Fuel)

steveo77 wrote: "Neat, one huge spent fuel pool with 4500 tons going up to 8000 tons, all in one place. Wonder how that would turn out in a big quake and the water spilled out?"

My attempt at answering:

"When the fuel is taken out of the reactor, it is stored in water-filled pools at the nuclear power plant for at least nine months" "..."

"There is so much water in the pools that it would take about a month before the fuel began to be exposed. This allows ample time to arrange backup cooling if needed. The rock caverns themselves are also a part of the safety system. They protect against intrusion and sabotage. The pools are specially designed to withstand earthquakes. Sliding bearings between the pools and the rock prevent the fuel and the pools from being damaged in the event of movements in the bedrock."

Quote is from http://www.skb.se/upload/publications/pdf/ClabEng.8.3.pdf

SKB is the company that is responsible for operation of CLAB. It is also responsible for developing and operating the future long term storage of spent nuclear fuel.

Your point about earthquake safety has some merits. Dangerous quakes in Sweden are very rare, and it would be easy to overlook this problem.

"An earthquake measuring 3.8 on the Richter scale shook homes in parts of Västerbotten in the north of Sweden late Tuesday evening. While no injuries were reported, the quake was considered to be strong on Swedish terms."

http://www.thelocal.se/27252/20100616/

The storage is 32 meters below ground (granite).

So, in conclusion, I believe CLAB is quite safe from earthquakes.

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Indeed the Swedes are doing it better than the USA...

You asked about CLAB on another blog: CLAB is an ...