GURPS Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by acrosome

And Castle Bravo, the nuclear weapon test that ended up being 250% as powerful as was expected, due to an error in the physics model...

That one could have been worse if they hadn't removed some of the Lithium-7 to keep it from weakening the reaction. Without that they might have predicted lower yield and gotten even higher yield.

[johndallman]

A nice account of a nuclear power station working well, by Charlie Stross.

[Flyndaran]

Just got this along with ATE 1, 2, and Powers The Weird for full radiation oddities.

Minor error, unless someone put Greece in space and no one told met. The table on page 7 lists the enormous amount of radiation at Thebes, not Thebe the moon.

[Celti]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

[...]unless someone put Greece in space and no one told me.

Are you sure they didn't leave Greece where it is and move Ancient Egypt into Jovian orbit instead?

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Just got this along with ATE 1, 2, and Powers The Weird for full radiation oddities.

Minor error, unless someone put Greece in space and no one told met. The table on page 7 lists the enormous amount of radiation at Thebes, not Thebe the moon.

Darn, this wasn't supposed to come out until after… well, you don't need to know about that.

(Seriously, please submit errata.)

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Repeat the following:

"Alcohol and nuclear power do not mix."

"Alcohol and nuclear power do not mix."

[Don't know how to say this in Ukrainian . . . ]

[Celti]

Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym

Repeat the following:

"Alcohol and nuclear power do not mix."

"Alcohol and nuclear power do not mix."

[Don't know how to say this in Ukrainian . . . ]

Now I'm imagining some sort of weird-science reactor that uses ethanol as a coolant or moderator...

“Don't drink from the reactor, Dave.”

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by Celti

Now I'm imagining some sort of weird-science reactor that uses ethanol as a coolant or moderator...

If I'm reading my search results right, it has a rather higher neutron capture cross-section than water. Off the top of my head it might make a decent coolant (but with a very low boiling point so you'd want to pressurise it hard), a very "twitchy" moderator that's hard to control well, and fair radiation shielding. But I'm tired and I may be wrong.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Celti

Now I'm imagining some sort of weird-science reactor that uses ethanol as a coolant or moderator...

“Don't drink from the reactor, Dave.”

Ah, engine room stills on nuclear-powered craft. Always fun. :)

[Celti]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

If I'm reading my search results right, it has a rather higher neutron capture cross-section than water. Off the top of my head it might make a decent coolant (but with a very low boiling point so you'd want to pressurise it hard), a very "twitchy" moderator that's hard to control well, and fair radiation shielding. But I'm tired and I may be wrong.

That sounds pretty accurate to me, actually. I think it'd be rather more vulnerable to neutron activation, too, what with the higher ratios of carbon and hydrogen to oxygen.

I've got a friend who works at the local nuclear plant, it's suddenly occurred to me I've been very remiss in asking him his opinion on this book!