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Nuclear Power/Questions Answered by Expert Bill Mihalovits
| Subject | Date Asked |
| man made or natural disasters | 9/22/2011 |
| Q: how intense would an explosion or other kind of shock have to be to breach the 6 foot steel and ... A: The small leaks would be detected quickly and repaired quickly. Uncovering a used fuel bundle isn't ... | |
| man made or natural disasters | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: how intense would an explosion or other kind of shock have to be to breach the 6 foot steel and ... A: Very. The containment domes are designed to withstand the impact of airplanes, tornado-generated ... | |
| industrial accidents | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: how dangerous is an industrial accident at a nuclear power plant that does not directly involve the ... A: These would be as dangerous as any industrial accident. Transformers can explode on light poles or ... | |
| plant maintenance | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: On average, how often do Pressurized Water Reactors need to be repaired and maintained in order to ... A: Maintenance is ongoing to ensure that the plants remain safe. Major maintenance happens every 18 to ... | |
| Nuclear waste | 9/21/2011 |
| Q: at what levels are strontium, nickel-63, and tritium no longer safe for people in the general area ... A: First, please understand that these aren't in the groundwater unless there is a major accident in ... | |
| Nuclear plant workers | 3/29/2011 |
| Q: I live near the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. As you know, this plant (and others) is ... A: The answer depends on what work they're doing. If they're actually working with radioactive or ... | |
| Nuclear(of course!)sodium cooled reactors | 3/28/2011 |
| Q: I am doing a broad report on nuclear reactors. I am,at best, a novice nuclear anything scholar. I ... A: I can answer the question about different types of reactors, but nuclear medicine is out of my area ... | |
| Control Room Chain of Command | 10/16/2010 |
| Q: I'm doing a research project on the Zion nuclear power plant and I could use some help in ... A: These titles don't all match up with the ones at the sites where I've worked. The NSO is the ... | |
| Nuclear Power Costs and safety. | 4/14/2010 |
| Q: I am currently writing an argumentative paper for my college English class on why Nuclear Power is ... A: Is nuclear power cost effective? Yes. The cost for nuclear fuel is relatively stable and runs ... | |
| Nuclear waste | 4/6/2010 |
| Q: Is it possible that we could run out of space to SAFELY store nuclear waste? A: Only if we continue to act out of fear and do not rationally approach the problem. A nuclear waste ... | |
| AP1000 | 1/1/2010 |
| Q: I need a clarification re AP1000 and its compatibility with European standards when it comes to the ... A: I haven't found the answer to this yet, but I'll keep looking and repost this response if I find the ... | |
| Nuclear plant | 10/6/2009 |
| Q: How much more energy than a Nuclear bomb can one Nuclear Reactor make? A: There's no easy answer to that. You have several things to think about: how big is the nuclear ... | |
| Uranium | 6/10/2009 |
| Q: if we make electricity from 10gram of uranium instead of making an atomic bomb so how long this ... A: This answer was surprisingly difficult to find. I also had to make some assumptions about the ... | |
| robot | 3/6/2009 |
| Q: My friend designe a robot to weld pipes inside a reactor to avoide radiological exposure for man, he ... A: This is very interesting. There are no pipes inside the reactor vessel itself. It is basically a ... | |
| low and medium voltage magnetics | 2/13/2009 |
| Q: Bill: what low and mediumm voltage magnetic products (transformers, chokes, reactors etc) would a ... A: Hey, if you're getting any money from this I want a cut! <grin> The engineering company (Stone & ... | |
| low and medium voltage magnetics | 2/13/2009 |
| Q: Bill: what low and mediumm voltage magnetic products (transformers, chokes, reactors etc) would a ... A: The motor controllers start and stop large motors such as reactor coolant pumps, condensate pumps, ... | |
| low and medium voltage magnetics | 2/12/2009 |
| Q: Bill: what low and mediumm voltage magnetic products (transformers, chokes, reactors etc) would a ... A: For the generation and distribution of power we use transformers. At our plant the main generator ... | |
| the sodium coolant of the Super Phneix fast reactor | 11/3/2008 |
| Q: my question is that the super phenix fast reactor in France spent alot of its life in shut down what ... A: I can't say with certainty because I can't seem to find more detailed information, but they probably ... | |
| the sodium coolant of the Super Phneix fast reactor | 11/3/2008 |
| Q: my question is that the super phenix fast reactor in France spent alot of its life in shut down what ... A: The coolant isn't pure sodium, it is a mixture of sodium and other metals such as Mercury, which is ... | |
| Chemistry | 9/4/2008 |
| Q: What is curie plot A: I had to Google this one, since it has nothing directly to do with nuclear power. In many cases ... | |
| coal vs. gas vs. nuclear | 2/29/2008 |
| Q: I'm starting in the energy industry and have been hearing a lot about coal vs. gas vs. nuclear for ... A: Yes. Coal has the lowest heat capacity, followed by natural gas. Nuclear fuel has the highest heat ... | |
| coal vs. gas vs. nuclear | 2/23/2008 |
| Q: I'm starting in the energy industry and have been hearing a lot about coal vs. gas vs. nuclear for ... A: Sorry that I couldn't answer yesterday. My laptop wouldn't stay logged onto the internet last ... | |
| Nuclear Chemistry | 2/19/2008 |
| Q: What are the differences between Ordinary Chemical reaction and nuclear reactions A: There are a couple of differences. Chemical reaction is a very broad term. Chemical reactions can ... | |
| AP1000 | 1/3/2008 |
| Q: I have some questions about AP1000 desigen and I should appreciate if you kindly supported your ... A: Okay, first an explanation of what the seals are (forgive me if I start too basic, but I don't know ... | |
| AP1000 | 12/4/2007 |
| Q: Why does the reactor cooling system of AP1000 consist TWO cold legs and ONE hot leg? A: As I understand it, the basic reason is cost. First, the design had already been created, ... | |
| Private or Public | 11/23/2007 |
| Q: Is nuclear power predominantly private or public? If private, is the industry segmented between ... A: The nuclear plants in the U.S. are owned by public utilities. These are publicly traded, private ... | |
| Coal-fired vs. nuclear | 9/27/2007 |
| Q: If you had to choose, would you rather live next to a coal-fired plant, or a nuclear plant? Why? A: A nuclear plant. Unlike a coal plant, a nuclear plant makes no emissions. Depending on the age of ... | |
| nuclear power project | 9/21/2007 |
| Q: i'm a student at upper cape tech and i've been assigned to present on nuclear power. i was wondering ... A: There are no false facts, however there are some false nonfacts. One: a nuclear plant can blow up ... | |
| Conditions inside the dome in a case of an accident | 8/25/2007 |
| Q: Mihalovits, I am doing a project on the sustainability of a reactor dome in a case of an accident. ... A: I was way off on my peak pressure number (either I was remembering another plant or just plain ... | |
| Conditions inside the dome in a case of an accident | 8/24/2007 |
| Q: Mihalovits, I am doing a project on the sustainability of a reactor dome in a case of an accident. ... A: If you can wait until Monday, I'll give you the exact figures from our accident analysis. But ... | |
| Economics of construction and decommisioning nuclear power plant | 7/6/2007 |
| Q: What are the economics of using nuclear power to generate electricity? So to build a 1300MWe nuclear ... A: >>Additional information: I've looked on our intranet and internet sites and haven't found where ... | |
| Nuclear Ages and future Jobs | 6/15/2007 |
| Q: Mr. Mihalovits, I need guidance researching information regarding this question. Concerning ... A: I can only answer this from my point of view in the nuclear power industry. You'll need to look ... | |
| design | 5/8/2007 |
| Q: please give the design of fast breeder reactor? A: A fast breeder reactor is designed like any other reactor, except that it uses a liquid metal, ... | |
| TRANSPORT OF NUCLEAR FUEL | 5/7/2007 |
| Q: HOW NUCLEAR FUEL IS PUMBED TO A FAST BREEDER REACTOR? A: Fuel is not pumped into a fast breeder reactor. The fuel is a mix of solid uranium and plutonium in ... | |
| SAFETY | 5/7/2007 |
| Q: HOW CAN WE ENSURE THE SAFETY OF A NUCLEAR PLANT? DETAIL A: There are three primary methods. One, have a good, safe design with redundant safety features ... | |
| nuclear safety | 4/27/2007 |
| Q: how can we save a nuclear powerplant from a earth quake and missile attack? A: Although nothing can ever be 100% earthquake proof, nuclear plants are built to withstand ... | |
| Nuclear Power Plants | 3/26/2007 |
| Q: Do you think nuclear power plants should be allowed to continue to be constructed? There are both ... A: I think so. At this point, alternate energy sources can't meet the demand for power. Wind power ... | |
| core material | 1/7/2007 |
| Q: Do they still use Zercalloy in the core of water moderated and cooled reactors. if not what are ... A: I haven't been able to find much specific information on the fuel bundles planned for the new ... | |
| enviormental hazardous | 12/17/2006 |
| Q: I'm in a grade 12 chemistry course and i have this question that i cant get an answer for... would ... A: Yes. Burning coal releases toxic gases to the atmosphere. Antipollution devices like scrubbers can ... | |
| Modern coal fired generation v nuclear | 11/2/2006 |
| Q: Mr Mihalovits, I read that it takes about ten years to build a nuclear reactor. Finland's 1600MW ... A: There are a couple of reasons that nuclear plants have taken so long to build (I don't know the ... | |
| cost for 5 years | 10/22/2006 |
| Q: I am writing a college application essay on why nuclear power should be used and its benefit to ... A: First, you need to understand that this is really outside my area of expertise. I'll give you my ... | |
| Debate | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: with school we are doing a debate on nuclear power in Australia. If possible can you tell us some ... A: I'd be glad to help. On the Pro side, nuclear power doesn't contribute to global warming. It emits ... | |
| water temp | 8/1/2006 |
| Q: Bill, that is so cool, that you went out checked the temp of your nuclear power plant pool! I'm very ... A: Actually, it's not a pool; it's a discharge canal heading back to the lake. I can check it from a ... | |
| water temp | 7/29/2006 |
| Q: would it be possable to heat a large or small city with the cooling water used in the condenser of a ... A: As a follow-up, I checked the water temperatures this morning. With our lake temperature at 90 ... | |
| dirty bomb | 7/20/2006 |
| Q: I write mystery-suspense novels. In a current project I have a situation where a dirty bomb has ... A: First, I need to apologize for taking so long to answer. I was on vacation and forgot to update my ... | |
| nuclear power and why it should or shouldn't be banned | 5/12/2006 |
| Q: what happens to the waste product of nuclear power and does it harm the planet or it population? A: The used fuel from a nuclear reactor is extremely radioactive and will remain dangerous for tens of ... | |
| I don't know if this is your expertise but... | 4/23/2006 |
| Q: Could you help me better understand nuclear power's negative effect on the environment and possibly ... A: Unless there's an accident, the only negative impact is the heat released and the creation of ... | |
| Cons of nuclear power | 4/22/2006 |
| Q: I already know the basic advantages of nuclear power and now i really need the DISadvantages so i ... A: There are none! Just kidding, like any source of energy there are advantages and disadvantages. ... | |
| need t ask | 4/13/2006 |
| Q: i want to know why i relate business to nuclear power ? i know that making reactor & nuclear ... A: I'm not sure what you are asking. If you want to know how to get a job in the nuclear power ... | |
| Thermodynamics of a nuclear reactor | 3/23/2006 |
| Q: A: Will MC delta-T and UA delta-T work? Just kidding. Check out The Nuclear Regulatory Commission at ... | |
| nuclear power in space | 12/27/2005 |
| Q: is it possible for space ships to use nuclear power in space A: Yes, as a matter of fact there were (and still may be) a number of satellites that used small ... | |
| pebble bed reactors | 10/19/2005 |
| Q: Back in August I asked you about technology improvements (still writing an article about nuke plants ... A: I don't know how long the design has been around, I first heard about it about 10 years ago. I ... | |
| power plant technology improvements | 7/26/2005 |
| Q: Hey, you really sound like you know what you'r talking about! I hope you're not a 12 year old kid ... A: My days as a twelve year old are long gone - sigh! There are several gases collected, but the ... | |
| power plant technology improvements | 7/24/2005 |
| Q: I plan to write an article trying to convince anti-nuck people that nuclear power is now the way to ... A: Here's some more information. You asked about nuclear plants releasing radioactive gases into the ... | |
| Hydro testing of Reactor Vessels | 5/5/2005 |
| Q: Does the ASME Code require overpressurization protection via a passive mechanical device or can a ... A: A follow-up to this answer. ASME code requires a passive mechanical device and will not allow a ... | |
| nuclear power plants | 3/29/2005 |
| Q: do you know the approximate footprint of a westinghouse AP1000 would be? and is there a any phyical ... A: Sorry for the delay, but I was out of town. The only difference between the Westinghouse AP1000 and ... | |
| thermalengineering | 2/9/2005 |
| Q: 1.what r thermal wastes? 2.what r the effects of these thermalwastes on environment? 3.how can we ... A: Thermal waste is simply the heat given off by any industrial or manufacturing process. For power ... | |
| Merge of a reactor core | 2/1/2005 |
| Q: Followup To Question - Dear Mr Mihalovits, I would like to know the different steps of a ... A: Bear in mind that several things have to happen before a core meltdown would occur. There are ... | |
| The general cost and saftey of a plant | 1/7/2005 |
| Q: Currently I am working on a project that deals with nuclear power plants, and I need to know a ... A: I can't answer most parts of this question, but you should be able to get that information from any ... | |
| necular energy | 1/4/2005 |
| Q: Why do we use nuclear power, if there are better and cleaner sources? How do we actually make the ... A: The cleaner sources such as wind power and solar power don't produce enough electricity to meet our ... | |
| science | 10/12/2004 |
| Q: is nuclear energy safe ? what are some advatages and disadvantages ? please contact me soon i really ... A: Nuclear energy, as practiced in the United States is indeed safe. Every safety device has multiple ... | |
Nuclear Power
Answers by Expert:
Bill Mihalovits
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions about general construction and safety of plants, specific questions about operations, training, reactor theory, and thermodynamics. Will also consider other aspects as requested.
Experience
Over 33 years in the nuclear power field, licensed senior reactor operator, and instructor.
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