More On The Fatal Japan Nuclear Reactor Accident

From Scott D. Portzline - sdportzline@comcast.net
 8-11-4

1  A 50cm (20 inch) return pipe, last inspected in 1996 (not inspected since construction in 1976 according to some reports) suddenly burst, scalding workers in the Mihama Unit 3 turbine hall. Four workers were killed; seven were hospitalized. One remains in serious condition.
 
2  Company spokesmen said that the failed pipe was scheduled for inspection in November. A quality control manager said that it was due for ultra-sonic inspection on August 14th.
 
3  When new, the pipe walls measured 10 millimeters in thickness (.4 inches). At the time the pipe burst, it measured just 1.4 millimeters (.056 inches, thinner than a penny, almost as thin as a dime). High-pressure water or wet steam erodes the interior of power plant piping, and pipes must be inspected for wear periodically (through the industry, the phenomenon is termed "erosion-corrosion"). A deputy plant manager said that they "had never expected such rapid corrosion."
 
4  A similar fatal incident took place in the United States in 1986 when a return line burst at the Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia. Both Surry and Mihama are pressure water reactors. Mihama started commercial operation on December 1, 1976 and has a licensed output of 826 megawatts (electric).
 
5  The inescapable lesson of the Mihama experience is that the industry does not understand as much about erosion-corrosion and the possibility of accelerated wear rates as it thought; therefore surveillance and wear calculations must be made many times more conservative than what they are today.

EXPLOITATION / EXPLOITATION

I - Which words in the text are synonymous with / Quels sont les mots du texte synonymes de

- to examine =
- to explode =
- to stay =
- to be programmed for inspection =
- the inside of piping =
- at regular intervals =
- to be called =
- plant director =
- deadly incident =
- to happen =
- authorised =
- that is why =

II - Translate into French / Traduire en français

- the turbine hall =
- the pipe walls =
- thickness =
- thin =
- the inescapable lesson =

III - Find out in the text the English equivalents for / Trouver dans le texte l'équivalent en anglais de

- un tuyau de retour =
- dans un état grave =
- eau sous haute pression =
- taux d’usure accéléré =
- calculs prudents =

IV True or false? Justify your answer with a quotation / Vrai ou faux ? Justifier sa réponse à l'aide d'une citation

- No worker was killed in the Mihama accident
►
- The failed pipe had just been inspected
►
- A similar accident had never happened before
►
- The nuclear industry is aware of the problem of pipe erosion-corrosion
►

V - Translating in the right order / L’ordre de traduction dans les mots surcomposés

- dans Nuclear Reactor Accident, nuclear se rapporte-t-il à reactor ou à accident ?
►
- dans quality control manager, quality se rapporte-t-il àcontrol ou à manager ?
►
- dans power plant piping, power se rapporte-t-il à plant ou à piping ?
►
- dans pressure water reactor, pressure se rapporte-t-il àwater ou à reactor ?
►

VI - Write out the figures at length / Écrire les indications chiffrées en toutes lettres en anglais

- a 50 cm (20 inch) return pipe =
- on August 14th =
- the pipe walls measured 10 millimeters in thickness (.4 inches) =
- it measured just 1.4 millimeters (.056 inches) =
- 1976 - 1986 - 1996 =
- 826 megawatts =  

© Christian Lassure - EFT
March 23rd, 2006 / 23 mars 2006

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