[Sustain] News: Monitor Triggers PG&E Nuclear Reactor Shut-Down

[Eric Brooks]

http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=105378318
	
Online monitor prompts shutdown of reactor at Diablo Canyon:

Bushing identical to one that failed last year and caused a fire will be 
inspected

David Sneed

Aug 14, 2009 (The Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via 
COMTEX) --

Operators at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant shut down the facility's 
unit 2 reactor Thursday to inspect and possibly repair a transformer 
bushing.

An identical component on the same unit failed a year ago, causing an 
explosion and fire.

The reactor was shut down at 1 p.m. Thursday after an online monitoring 
system identified a possible problem with the bushing, said Emily 
Christensen, PG&E spokeswoman. The shutdown will enable workers to 
conduct an in-depth inspection and make repairs if needed.

Each of Diablo Canyon's two reactors has three transformer banks, which 
feed electricity generated by the plant into the electrical grid. The 
bushing connects the transformer to the high-voltage transmission line.

A bushing on a different transformer bank of the same unit exploded in 
the middle of the night in August 2008 with enough force to break nearby 
windows. Insulating oil caught fire. No one was injured in that 
accident, but it caused the unit to be shut down for 20 days while 
repairs were made.

Operators do not know how long this shutdown will last because they do 
not yet know whether repairs will be needed, Christensen said. The other 
unit continues to operate at full power.

Reach David Sneed at 781-7930.

-- 
"I am not a liberator. Liberators do not exist. The people liberate 
themselves." – Che Guevara