Gordian Knot News

Gordian Knot News explores solutions and challenges in the nuclear power sector, focusing on the economics, regulatory impacts, and safety paradigms of nuclear energy. It critiques current regulatory practices, proposes reforms, and discusses the broader implications of nuclear power on global warming, energy policy, and societal costs.

Nuclear Power Economics Regulatory Systems and Reforms Safety and Risk Management in Nuclear Energy Nuclear Power and Environmental Policy Historical Perspectives on Nuclear Energy Radiation Health Effects Energy Policy and Global Warming

The hottest Substack posts of Gordian Knot News

And their main takeaways

Underwriter Certification of Nuclear Power, 2.0:

124 implied HN points • 16 Mar 24
💼 Business Regulation Insurance Certification Market Energy
  1. Regulation of hazardous activities requires finding a balance between safety and economy to prevent both excessive harm and economic burden.
  2. Certification Societies, like those for ocean transportation and high-pressure steam, play a crucial role in setting industry standards, inspecting compliance, and ensuring safety.
  3. Underwriter Certification for nuclear power leverages market competition, government oversight, and insurance to provide a feasible and safe regulatory system for nuclear energy.

Nuclear Power not only should be cheap; it was cheap: 3 cents/kWh cheap.

307 implied HN points • 10 Feb 24
🔬 Science Nuclear power Regulation Economics
  1. In the 1960s, nuclear power was as cheap as coal, at about 3.2 cents per kWh in 2024 dollars.
  2. Nuclear power plants require significantly less material and labor compared to coal plants, making them potentially cheaper to build and operate.
  3. High regulatory costs, escalating material and labor expenses, and a misdirected regulatory system have contributed to making nuclear power more expensive than it should be.

LNT is prudent.

205 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🔬 Science Radiation Regulation Risk Assessment Public Health Nuclear power
  1. Pursuing safety in a cost-effective way is crucial to prevent harm and save lives.
  2. The Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model, while used for regulatory purposes, can come with enormous costs to humanity due to its over-conservatism.
  3. Focusing solely on minimizing radiation exposure without considering other costs may lead to unnecessary harm and consequences, such as deadly evacuations and ruined lives.

Blame the Crew

190 implied HN points • 01 Mar 24
💼 Business Management Construction Regulation
  1. In industries like shipping and nuclear power, there is a tendency to blame the crew or contractors for mistakes rather than holding the owners or regulatory systems accountable.
  2. There is a disparity in performance between building coal plants and nuclear plants, with the nuclear contractor performance often not meeting expectations.
  3. The main difference in performance is attributed to the regulatory system rather than any lack of special technical skills in building nuclear plants.

Four Simple Questions

183 implied HN points • 24 Feb 24
🔬 Science Nuclear power Regulation
  1. Masking up with N95 masks can significantly reduce inhalation dose during a nuclear event, but pro-nuke advocates rarely mention this lifesaving tip.
  2. Spent nuclear fuel becomes significantly less dangerous over time due to radioactive decay, with minimal risk after 600 years. This valuable material can also be recycled and is not as hazardous as commonly believed.
  3. The Linear No Threshold (LNT) radiation model is flawed in its assumption of strictly additive harm. Challenging this model and proposing an alternative that considers our body's ability to repair radiation damage is key to advancing nuclear power safety.
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Is there a Cotwus out there?

87 implied HN points • 18 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Nuclear power International relations Climate change Global Cooperation Economic Development
  1. A vision where a poor country adopts Underwriter Certification for regulating nuclear power, leading to economic boom and technological advancements
  2. The concept of a country like Cotwus attracting nuclear power plant developers and becoming the richest nation due to cheap electricity, infrastructure development, and sharing in ventures
  3. The potential global impact of other countries adopting Underwriter Certification, leading to more competition in the nuclear power business, cost reduction, and progress towards green hydrogen fuels

The Breakthrough in Fusion We've All Been Waiting For

190 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🔬 Science Engineering Electricity
  1. 90 odd power plants in the country are n-U fusion reactors, creating electricity with an engineering gain of about 18.
  2. Operators of these fusion plants are advised to apply for a Section 30 license from the NRC quickly or contact their state regulatory agency if in an Agreement State.
  3. The breakthrough in fusion we've been waiting for involves the significant engineering gains of n-U fusion reactors, surpassing other fusion concepts in terms of proven efficiency.

The Trouble with Fusion

183 implied HN points • 18 Feb 24
🔬 Science Energy Technology Engineering Physics
  1. Fusion faces difficult technical challenges like damage to the first wall, intense heat transfer, and high maintenance due to activation of materials.
  2. Achieving economic viability in fusion is a major hurdle, with immense parasitic loads and a fusion gain ratio that can be a significant challenge to achieve.
  3. Standard fusion processes like using deuterium and tritium result in energy losses due to the need for high quality energy input, which makes fusion less self-sustaining than fission.

New Site Directory

87 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Features
  1. The user created a new Site Directory on the GKN Navigation Bar for easier access to all posts, organized by subject and rated.
  2. The new directory also includes links to PDF versions on the Flop book site, which are more portable, better referenced, and likely more up-to-date.
  3. The user seeks feedback on the functionality of the links in the Site Directory and encourages users to report any that do not work.

Kerala Cancer Data, 2021 Update

205 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🔬 Science Medical Research Data
  1. The Karunagappally cohort study in Kerala compared cancer rates in high dose villages
  2. Data from the study challenges the Linear No-Threshold model for radiation risk
  3. The updated study suggests low dose radiation exposure may have lower cancer risk than acute exposure

Thinking through Linear With Threshold

65 implied HN points • 02 Mar 24
🔬 Science Radiation Models Repair
  1. Linear No Threshold (LNT) is criticized for over-predicting harm in low dose rate situations like nuclear power plant releases.
  2. Linear With Threshold (LWT) models have variations where the threshold is on dose or dose rate.
  3. LWT models, although an improvement, still have flaws in considering the repair period after radiation exposure.

The Radium Dial Painters and SNT

175 implied HN points • 30 Dec 23
🔬 Science Radiation Nuclear power Risk Assessment
  1. SNT is proposed as a replacement to LNT in radiation harm modeling, with a focus on individual dose rate profiles.
  2. SNT shows potential inaccuracies in predicting cancer incidences at different dose rates compared to LNT.
  3. SNT, while simpler and more conservative than LNT, may lead to overcompensation in some scenarios.

Last word on LNT

139 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🔬 Science Research Data Analysis
  1. Linear No-Threshold (LNT) model in radiation exposure prediction is criticized for being inaccurate.
  2. Comparing different dose rate profiles with the same total dose is crucial to understanding radiation harm models.
  3. Dose rate is a critical factor in DNA damage repair, impacting cancer incidence predictions in radiation exposure.

Underwriter Certification of Nuclear Power

43 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Nuclear power
  1. The Gordian Knot Group has released a new version of the Underwriter Certification Manual for nuclear power, essentially a brand new document.
  2. If you have a previous version, delete it and download this updated version from the Flop book site.
  3. It's important to stay updated on certification manuals, especially in industries like nuclear power where accuracy is crucial.

Draft Release Pamphlet for Comments

95 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🏥 Health Politics Safety Medical care Regulation
  1. The Gordian Knot Group is seeking help from the community for feedback on a release package for radiation emergencies.
  2. The package includes safety items like dosimeters, N95 masks, and potassium-iodide pills, along with informational pamphlets.
  3. Feedback on the draft pamphlet and the need for an illustrator is requested, with incentive for compensation and recognition.

The Gordian Knot News "A" List

168 implied HN points • 25 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Energy Regulation Nuclear Safety
  1. The Gordian Knot News focuses on the importance of cheap nuclear power for humanity's prosperity and environmental conservation.
  2. Understanding key features of radiation and where we went wrong in nuclear power are crucial to solving the issues in the industry.
  3. Proposing a new regulatory system and a radiation harm model are essential steps towards a better future for nuclear power.

Camp Century

183 implied HN points • 01 Nov 23
💾 History Military Science Technology Environment Nuclear
  1. Camp Century was a unique nuclear plant experiment in an extreme environment
  2. The project showed the potential of non-traditional approaches in nuclear power
  3. Camp Century contributed valuable insights into climate history and nuclear reactor technology

The Price Anderson Suicide Pact

161 implied HN points • 08 Nov 23
💰 Finance Insurance Nuclear power Compensation
  1. In the US, the response to nuclear accidents is governed by the Price Anderson Act and American tort system
  2. The Secondary Financial Protection under Price Anderson can lead to mandatory post-casualty assessments on nuclear plants
  3. INPO, a self-regulation inspection service, influences the safety culture of nuclear plants by focusing on preventing costly accidents

Leave Town or Hunker Down?

131 implied HN points • 19 Nov 23
🔬 Science Radiation Models Policy Health Effects
  1. NRC and EPA have differing policies on handling releases of radioactive material from nuclear power plants.
  2. The NRC emphasizes rapid evacuation, while the EPA argues for sheltering in place and deliberate relocation.
  3. Both NRC and EPA approaches have flaws, but EPA's stance seems more practical.

Expensive nuclear will kill

175 implied HN points • 14 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Nuclear power
  1. Pursuing safety in a cost-effective way is crucial to saving lives.
  2. The focus should be on providing affordable, clean electricity to all humans.
  3. Expensive nuclear energy could lead to increased global poverty and negative consequences.

The NRC at Three Mile Island

161 implied HN points • 23 Oct 23
💾 History Disaster Regulation Media Government Nuclear
  1. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's actions at Three Mile Island turned a manageable incident into a national crisis.
  2. Despite widespread panic and media frenzy, the actual harm from Three Mile Island was significantly less than perceived.
  3. There were major errors and miscommunication by the NRC that escalated the situation, causing unnecessary fear and confusion.

The Davis Besse Warning

153 implied HN points • 25 Oct 23
💾 History
  1. In 1977, the Davis Besse nuclear plant faced a potential meltdown due to a valve failure during startup.
  2. Operators faced challenges due to incorrect training and manuals during the crisis.
  3. The incident highlighted issues with safety communication within organizations and regulatory bodies.

SNT versus LNT at Fukushima

124 implied HN points • 13 Nov 23
🔬 Science Nuclear power
  1. There's a significant difference in harm estimation between SNT and LNT models at Fukushima.
  2. The ability to repair radiation damage affects radiation risk insurability.
  3. Accurate radiation harm models and fixed compensation schemes are crucial for nuclear power safety.

Can we have a radioactive release without a panic?

146 implied HN points • 16 Oct 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Radiation Health Effects
  1. In the Windscale radioactive release incident, there was no evacuation despite the severity of the situation.
  2. The response to the Windscale incident focused on community engagement and compensation for affected individuals.
  3. Radioactive releases can occur without causing panic if managed well and communication is transparent.

TMI Lessons: what was learned and what should have been learned

131 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
🚌 Education Lessons Learned Accountability Regulation Bureaucracy
  1. Lessons learned from Three Mile Island highlighted the inadequacies in nuclear power safety and regulatory systems.
  2. Two major lies in the nuclear establishment were exposed at Three Mile Island, showing the need for accountability.
  3. The NRC's incompetence and flaws showcased at Three Mile Island suggest the need for a complete overhaul of the regulatory system.

Cheap nuclear is healthy nuclear

139 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🔬 Science Nuclear Radiation Health Energy
  1. Engineers must balance desirable factors like performance and safety in their work.
  2. Our understanding of numbers and rational thinking is a relatively recent development.
  3. Low levels of radiation exposure from nuclear accidents may not cause measurable harm and nuclear energy can have health benefits compared to fossil fuels.

Circling the LNT Wagons

205 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
🔬 Science Radiation Health Studies Cancer
  1. The Linear No-Threshold theory (LNT) in radiation protection is being challenged due to its assumption that harm is solely based on cumulative dose, ignoring dose rate and repair ability.
  2. Studies on nuclear workers show limitations as they only focus on cumulative doses and do not consider variations in dose rates, which are crucial for understanding radiation harm.
  3. The INWORKS study, which supports LNT, has faced criticism for excluding certain data, lacking dose rate information, and not making data available, raising questions about its scientific validity.