from the same article:
The process has not been without frightening
glitches. For instance, at the Peach Bottom, Pa.,
nuclear power plant, an entire control room went
dead when a technician inadvertently connected the
test systems to a non-compliant computer system.
As a result, staff was thrown back to using analog
gauges and calculating reactor conditions by hand
based on those read-outs. If human error hadn't
interfered, the system would have worked. And,
despite the problems, the plant did not pose any
threat to the public - because engineers were still in
control of the core, even if they had to use
"antiquated" gauges.
Peach Bottom bears out the need for testing, since
a plant that failed to identify potential problems and
make repairs could unexpectedly find itself in the
midst of a data blackout on January 1, 2000. The
Nuclear Regulatory Commission and power
industry, however, have gone to great lengths to
identify potential problems well in advance. NRC
auditors have surveyed a dozen nuclear power
plants to provide the industry with specific
information about the risks they face and what
problems they should be looking for.
zdnet.com |
