Post by gobbit on Feb 25, 2007 20:36:39 GMT -5
This actually happened, really.
Down in the reactor area, there is a huge ass pump to fill the reactor compartment up with water in case of a melt down or such. This thing is bigger than our van. The pipe leading to the reactor is friggin huge.
And now there is this switch in the control room to start this baby up. It is a round dial type like you see on stoves for the temperature control. Now there is play in these switches. A small spring keeps it in the off position. Well, the reactor operators, RO, wondered just how much play was in the spring. Sooo. one guy would turn the switch just a millimeter, and let it spring back to its original position. Well, that started something, so the next guy got out an ink pen and moved the switch just ever so little and put an ink mark on the dial backplate to show everyone how brave he was. Well, every so often someone would want to break the record, and as time went by little tick marks started making their way around the dial a millimeter at a time.
Well, one guy thought it'd be funny and just put a mark on the back plate way further around the dial than anyone else. So you can guess, the next guy on watch goes, "what, he made it that far", and put his hand on the switch and moved it up to the mark. Well. the switch clicked over and he turned on the pump. It kick in and all hell broke lose. Nothing beats an unused pipe full of water, ie, think rust, getting a strong thumping and pumping the reactor full of rusty, dirty,contaminated water
All of these incidents get written down and go into training books, (filtered of course) and when we saw the official version it got accidently turned on 'by mistake' by the RO, grabbing the wrong switch. as best as I can recall the official remarks.
Anyway, that is the wonderful nuclear navy for you.
Down in the reactor area, there is a huge ass pump to fill the reactor compartment up with water in case of a melt down or such. This thing is bigger than our van. The pipe leading to the reactor is friggin huge.
And now there is this switch in the control room to start this baby up. It is a round dial type like you see on stoves for the temperature control. Now there is play in these switches. A small spring keeps it in the off position. Well, the reactor operators, RO, wondered just how much play was in the spring. Sooo. one guy would turn the switch just a millimeter, and let it spring back to its original position. Well, that started something, so the next guy got out an ink pen and moved the switch just ever so little and put an ink mark on the dial backplate to show everyone how brave he was. Well, every so often someone would want to break the record, and as time went by little tick marks started making their way around the dial a millimeter at a time.
Well, one guy thought it'd be funny and just put a mark on the back plate way further around the dial than anyone else. So you can guess, the next guy on watch goes, "what, he made it that far", and put his hand on the switch and moved it up to the mark. Well. the switch clicked over and he turned on the pump. It kick in and all hell broke lose. Nothing beats an unused pipe full of water, ie, think rust, getting a strong thumping and pumping the reactor full of rusty, dirty,contaminated water
All of these incidents get written down and go into training books, (filtered of course) and when we saw the official version it got accidently turned on 'by mistake' by the RO, grabbing the wrong switch. as best as I can recall the official remarks.
Anyway, that is the wonderful nuclear navy for you.
