PM irked by isotope reactor shutdown

[jdobbin]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...?hub=TopStories

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is disappointed that the aging nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ont., will not return to service before next year.

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited announced late Wednesday that its NRU reactor, which produces most of Canada's medical isotopes, would remain out of service until the first quarter of 2010.

It has been offline since it was shut down in May, when a radioactive water leak was discovered.

Given the continued setbacks, I wonder if we will see it open even even then.

[OddSox]

I guess I'm disappointed as well. However, if this one aging reactor has been supplying isotopes to the rest of the world for this long, you would think somebody else would have stepped up to the plate before now. I am sure there are many university or goverment installations across America and Europe who would be capable of running something like this - why aren't they doing it?

[Riverwind]

I am sure there are many university or goverment installations across America and Europe who would be capable of running something like this - why aren't they doing it?

Because the market for isotopes can't pay the true cost of creating them and depends on government subsidies.

[Bonam]

If you have ever worked at a nuclear facility, you would know that it's not a matter of politics, artificial deadlines, and "disappointment", but of following proper procedures and safety protocols. When a reactor or accelerator is shut down for maintenance, a considerable amount of time has to pass before personnel can even get close to it as the areas have to cool down (that is, the radiation has to dissipate). And after that, any servicing takes a long time, as every part is pretty much unique, and the original components are long since out of production and cannot simply be replaced with identical, new pieces of equipment.

I guess I'm disappointed as well. However, if this one aging reactor has been supplying isotopes to the rest of the world for this long, you would think somebody else would have stepped up to the plate before now.

There are a few other facilities around the world, the Chalk River reactor was not the only one. Chalk River produced about 1/3 of the world's Molybdenum-99. While the supply was sufficient, why would anyone else have "stepped up"? Now that it is obvious that the Chalk River reactor will not operate much longer (if it gets back to operating at all), and when it stops, Canada has no realistic plans to replace it with any alternative, you can be sure that some other country will take the lead in this field instead.

I am sure there are many university or goverment installations across America and Europe who would be capable of running something like this - why aren't they doing it?

Chalk River is a fairly large reactor, not something you'd find at most universities. You need a dedicated, industrial, facility, that is used not for research but for isotope production.

[Wild Bill]

I guess I'm disappointed as well. However, if this one aging reactor has been supplying isotopes to the rest of the world for this long, you would think somebody else would have stepped up to the plate before now. I am sure there are many university or goverment installations across America and Europe who would be capable of running something like this - why aren't they doing it?

McMaster University has had a reactor for decades and offered to 'step up to the plate'.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/651947

Costs have been quoted as from 22-30 million and estimates of about 18 months to make it happen. Apparently, the Harper government has totally ignored the suggestion with no comment.

Seems peculiar, considering their fine words about new industries for Canada's future! I guess they don't see medical isotopes as a positive business.

[punked]

Chalk River is a fairly large reactor, not something you'd find at most universities. You need a dedicated, industrial, facility, that is used not for research but for isotope production.

Actually University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Royal Military College of Canada all have Slowpoke reactors like the Chalk River site which could be used to make isotopes.

[punked]

McMaster University has had a reactor for decades and offered to 'step up to the plate'.

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/651947

Costs have been quoted as from 22-30 million and estimates of about 18 months to make it happen. Apparently, the Harper government has totally ignored the suggestion with no comment.

Seems peculiar, considering their fine words about new industries for Canada's future! I guess they don't see medical isotopes as a positive business.

This article is wrong there are several SlowPoke reactors across the country which could do the job not just the one at McMaster.

[Smallc]

Actually, the U of W claims that they can do it without a reactor for less than $25M.

[Bonam]

Actually University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, and Royal Military College of Canada all have Slowpoke reactors like the Chalk River site which could be used to make isotopes.

You seem to have missed the point that reactors at universities are used for research, not for industry.

McMaster University has had a reactor for decades and offered to 'step up to the plate'.

Your own article clearly states that their optimistic estimate is to be able to provide "20% of North American" demand. Compare that with the large chunk of world demand, produced the Chalk River reactor. Not only that, McMaster would not be doing much research with that reactor after committing it to industrial production. And, of course, as a research facility, it would have lower safety and much higher operating costs than an industrial facility.

Actually, the U of W claims that they can do it without a reactor for less than $25M.

Yes there have been many proposals to make the isotope with accelerators instead of reactors. TRIUMF, for example, has proposed this as well. But you must realize that the output is much lower, and the cost per unit of isotope will be higher, since accelerators consume a lot of energy, rather than producing it like reactors.

In the short term, there is absolutely nothing to be done with the current situation except ensuring that AECL has the funding and bureaucratic fast-tracking necessary to get the Chalk River reactor back online as soon as is safely possible. In the long term, we either need to build a dedicated replacement facility that will produce the isotopes, or we need to realize we will lose our international lead in this field.