Thursday, August 7, 2008

USS Houston Problems

Well the USS Houston has made the home page of CNN again about the secondary coolent leak.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/07/navy.sub/index.html

For all that don't understand, the secondary coolant is that coolant that never touches the reactor. The primary coolant that touches the reactor core heat ups and transfers this heat to the secondary coolant, which turns the turbines and makes electricity.

Secondary coolant is safe. I guess this valve on the Houston has been dripping for two years (I'm not sure how that happens without notice) and sprayed an enlisted guys in the Engine room. After the Enlisted Men had to field day the mess up, have reconstruct and an investigation on PMS practice, they took him to the hospital (just a joke guys, we all know the Nucs payed World of Warcraft during field day).

Well anyways the news people are freaking out because of the word 'nuclear.' The radiation level is less than a bag of fertilizer or a smoke detector. That's the way it is designed. It is not because the navy caught it before it could have gotten out of hand. It is because the radioactivity of the secondary loop is very small. Admiral Rickover drank the coolant in front of Congress!

Well anyways it is just another reason to clean the bilge.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dave my man... yer ole roomie Loyd here from back in the MSP days. Good set of comments and I see you are tearing up the guitar just like before. Your daughter is a cutie for sure!