We almost lost Detroit
by John Grant Fuller · first published 1975
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…processes themselves inject further variation or failure modes. For an example I only just ran across, the Fermi 1 nuclear reactor meltdown incident near Detroit in 1966, and event which gave rise to a book We Almost Lost Detroit, and a Gil Scott-Heron song of the same title. The cause of the meltdown was determined to be "zirconium metal plate that was installed in the reactor as a safety measure", according to a Detroit Free…
on “That wild Ask a Manager story” ↗"Safe, clean, too cheap to meter" More? > We Almost Lost Detroit"- Wikipedia > a 1975 Reader's Digest book by John G. Fuller,[1] presents a history of Fermi 1, America's first commercial breeder reactor, with emphasis on the 1966 partial nuclear meltdown. ISBN 0883490706
on “Secrets of the Atomic City” ↗…story is not there 100% yet and nuclear is still in the running. Another untold story about Gen 4 is that of the liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR) which I'd say has been maligned, books like We Almost Lost Detroit would make you think it is a dangerous and failed technology. Granted, LMFBR development projects have had some problems, but also some successes, EBR II and the FFTF ran without a hitch in the U.S.…
on “The trouble with small nuclear reactors” ↗…partial fuel melt down. They said no radiation was leaked but there was dispute about the official account. There was a book (and later a song) written about the accident. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Almost_Lost_Detroit
on “In 1951 there was a children's U-238 Atomic Energy Lab playset for $50” ↗…Natrium's approach. Melting of fuel is not a theoretical problem -- it has actually happened at two fast reactors in the US (EBR-1 and Fermi-1, the latter the reactor in the hyperbolically titled book "We Almost Lost Detroit"). No explosions occurred, but it's very troubling the fuel melted at all. The NRC will surely insist on analysis of the consequences of partial fuel melting accidents.
on “Natrium 'advanced nuclear' power plant wins Wyoming permit” ↗