Pictures show cracks in Ayrshire nuclear reactor

Re:Pictures show cracks in Ayrshire nuclear reactor by einpoklum on Sunday June 09, 2019 @12:06PM (#20140030)

Perhaps, but surely you realize that there is currently a lot of pressure (and therefore bias) for keeping the plant operational: Jobs, energy supply and the operator's profits. And the thing is, those biases affect both the regulator (the government), the local population (who probably want to keep their jobs) and the operator (EDF Energy).

So at this point in time I would be skeptical of new experiments and model updates performed by the operator and approved by the regulator. IMHO: Don't approve the model change, do some lab experiments / examine more empirical evidence over time and then possibly change the model for a _future_ reactor.

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Re:Pictures show cracks in Ayrshire nuclear reactor by Someone on Sunday June 09, 2019 @01:34PM (#20140546)

I do, but there also is a lot of pressure to close nuclear reactors because the perceived danger of nuclear power is a lot higher than its real danger.

Also, would you be in favor of _not_ changing the model for current reactors if updated models predict a shorter life time? If you think the model should be updated in those cases, that introduces bias. It also could mean reactor owners would stop making measurements, and that, in turn, would mean we would learn less about making safer reactors.

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