From: Chuck Kuecker (ckuecker@mcs.net)
Date: Fri Jun 01 2001 - 06:43:12 MDT
A few simple precautions - barriers to prevent a straight-line approach to
the containment, at a minimum - should prevent any vehicle borne
non-nuclear blast from compromising the containment.
All the nuclear plants in the Chicago area that I have visited have such
barriers. It's physically impossible to get closer than 50 yards to any of
the vital parts of the plant, or to get up the speed to get through the
barrier.
I believe that the containments themselves are built to withstand blasts
and impacts of aircraft. Supposedly, French reactor containments have been
tested with impacts of rocket propelled fighter jets without penetration.
Of course, someone could try the suicide bomber route with an airborne
shaped charge of some kind...
Chuck Kuecker
At 02:13 AM 6/1/01 -0400, you wrote:
>I like nuclear power as a technical solution and I am not worried about
>waste and accidents but there is one big problem - any eco-terrorist or
>suicide bomber with a few tons of high explosive could drive up to a power
>plant and make the surrounding 1000+ sq miles unlivable for the next
>couple hundred years. Unfortunately, in assessing any technology we have
>to consider the potential for malicious attacks.
>
>Rafal
>
>Rafal Smigrodzki MD-PhD
>Dept Neurology University of Pittsburgh
>smigrodzkir@msx.upmc.edu
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