The heat and neutrons blasted from these explosions would be captured in a large reactor containment chamber by a " blanket " of solid or liquid lithium or some other suitable material, and the heat captured by the blanket would power a steam plant driving an electric generator.
42.
However, in 1964, at the Atomic Energy Commission it was found that while small reactors were safe, the bigger core sizes as used in power plants were potentially susceptible to nuclear meltdown an accident where the reactor core could melt through the bottom of the reactor containment vessel.
43.
In April 2010 a dozen environmental groups ( including Friends of the Earth, South Carolina's Sierra Club, Nuclear Watch South, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Georgia Women's Action for New Directions ) stated that the proposed AP1000 reactor containment design is " . . . inherently less safe than current reactors ."
44.
He said a study by the Electric Power Research Institute, research arm of the electric utility industry, concluded that even if a loaded Boeing 767 crashed directly into one of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants, it would fail to penetrate the reactor containment structure or damage facilities where used fuel is stored.
45.
The word " confinement " is used rather than the traditional " containment " to emphasize the difference between the " containment " of radioactive gases that is the primary focus of most reactor containment buildings, and the " confinement " of solid radioactive waste that is the primary purpose of the New Safe Confinement.
46.
In nuclear power plants, CPAMs are used for measuring releases of APR from the facility, monitoring levels of APR for protection of plant personnel, monitoring the air in the reactor containment structure to detect leakage from the reactor systems, and to control ventilation fans, when the APR level has exceeded a defined threshold in the ventilation system.
47.
On 15 June 2012 TEPCO reported that a robot that was sent into the No . 2 reactor building on 13 June 2012 to take video images and radiation measurements, detected a reading of 880mSv ( millisieverts ) per hour of radiation on the fifth floor, which one floor ( 4.5 meters ) directly above the reactor containment vessel.
48.
Major milestones in the development of the program so far include the completion and installation of the Containment Liner Plate ( CLP ) in the Unit 1 Reactor Containment Building ( RCB ) in November 2013; the installation of the Unit 1 Condenser in February 2014; and the setting of the nation s first nuclear energy Reactor Vessel ( RV ) in May 2014.
