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AnAppleSnail
   
location:
Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
 |  |  |  | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 1 on 7/18/2009 4:24 PM >
|  | | | Aren't these the ones that get broken into, with the nuclear bits stolen?
Achievement Unlocked
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TurboZutek
  
King Dick
location:
Scotland
Gender: Male
Giant octo-penised rapephant
| |  | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 2 on 7/18/2009 4:26 PM >
| | | | Yeah, it's been mentioned before, wayyyy back:
http://www.uer.ca/...urrpage=1&pp#post0
Chris...
We all had ostriches. My dad had an ostrich farm! I remember one day someone came in and said the high altitude bombing of Kosovo had been a limited success, so we all went out and celebrated… by killing an ostrich and boiling it in kiwi fruit. |
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Imbroglio
 
location:
DFW
Gender: Male
The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
| | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 3 on 7/18/2009 4:48 PM >
| | | | in the linked archive thread provided by Turbozutek, Tupsumato made a technically accurate but misleading comment. He stated:
"As for reactors, those are just radioisotope thermoelectric generators. If a reactor was an engine, those would be batteries."
...which would lead one to believe that these are the typical RTGs, which are relatively harmless unless you directly handle the radioisotope. But read the clarification below for a more accurate description of the nature of the emitters used in these lighthouses.
"These are indeed RTGs, however they are not powered by alpha emitters, but rather beta emitted from Strontium 90, and its first decay product Yttrium 90. These are virtually pure beta emitters (a very very weak gamma is associated with these decays but has so little energy as to be safely ignored). Despite its half life of 29 years, Sr90 would still be quite dangerous after 5 half lives i.e. 145 years if not handled properly. With proper safeguards and procedures though it can be handled quite safely. Personally, I think this was a rather clever solution to a difficult logistical supply problem for their remote lighthouses. The failure comes from the post soviet decommissioning and accounting for the materials."
Everyone know you don't fuck with Strontium 90. I post this just to make sure some poor Russian urbex kid doesn't see all this and think, "cool, it's safe to go explore the nuke power source" and wind up growing arms on his asscheeks.
http://www.noelkernsphotography.com |
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cr400
 
location:
Los Angeles, CA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 4 on 7/18/2009 8:58 PM >
| | | | I sense the beginnings of a great country song for your tour.
Arms on your asscheeks, maybe we can colaborate on this one?
Johnnys daddy was takin' him fishin'
when he was 8 years old.
A bunch a arms growin' out his asscheeks.
he was tough to scold.
You can see a million miles tonite, but you can't get very far.
Honorary member of UER lifetime acheivement award winning, 2Xplorations and Guide Services, Texas. |
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BrickMan
location:
NorthEast-England
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 5 on 7/18/2009 9:01 PM >
| | | | wow, never had any idea there were nuke powered lighthouses, seen they had mobile (via train or truck) nuclear power stations, I suppose it makes sense in a lighthouse.
Points for determination for russian pikeys to get out to those lighthouses but jesus, £10 worth of copper isn't worth being irradiated, idiots, though chances are they were poorly educated and didn't know.
THink I'll take a geiger and some lead shields if I visit one though
Go.. IN.. turbines...
More on my FlickR |
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TurboZutek
King Dick
location:
Scotland
Gender: Male
Giant octo-penised rapephant
| | | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 6 on 7/18/2009 9:20 PM >
| | | | Posted by BrickMan
Points for determination for russian pikeys to get out to those lighthouses but jesus, £10 worth of copper isn't worth being irradiated, idiots, though chances are they were poorly educated and didn't know.
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I sorta wish we had these in the UK, for that very reason.
Chris...
We all had ostriches. My dad had an ostrich farm! I remember one day someone came in and said the high altitude bombing of Kosovo had been a limited success, so we all went out and celebrated… by killing an ostrich and boiling it in kiwi fruit. |
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Imbroglio
location:
DFW
Gender: Male
The glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
| | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 7 on 7/19/2009 7:26 AM >
| | | | Posted by cr400
I sense the beginnings of a great country song for your tour.
Arms on your asscheeks, maybe we can colaborate on this one?
Johnnys daddy was takin' him fishin'
when he was 8 years old.
A bunch a arms growin' out his asscheeks.
he was tough to scold.
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OK, I LOLed for an extended period over your song verse!
On the other hand (pardon the pun), he might just spank himself. So to speak.
http://www.noelkernsphotography.com |
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WEKurtz
location:
Western MA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 8 on 7/19/2009 11:33 AM >
| | | | He might spank ALL of us!.
Nice article, thanx.
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Tupsumato
location:
Finland
Gender: Male
How close can you go?
| | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 9 on 7/19/2009 12:33 PM >
| | | | Nuclear-powered lighthouses are pretty clever inventions and should be revived again. Apparently the only danger apart from government or structucal collapse are those idiots who think it's ok to ruin everything forever for just couple of buck's worth of copper. So, with modern relatively stable governments and building techniques we could build new lighthouses and, while the real power bits were hidden somewhere deep, for the scum... err, metal salvagers and other personae non grata people, I mean, there should be a relatively easily accessed part filled with copper to lure them in and something very nasty to turn them inside out...
Posted by Imbroglio
in the linked archive thread provided by Turbozutek, Tupsumato made a technically accurate but misleading comment... |
Thanks for the clarification. I'm not really a specialist in this field.
*books time for cancer screening, reaches for a mirror*
[last edit 7/19/2009 12:44 PM by Tupsumato - edited 1 times]
All information and details given in good faith but not guaranteed! |
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cr400
location:
Los Angeles, CA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 10 on 7/20/2009 7:01 PM >
| | | | I'm not such a big fan of explorin' nuthin' nukalur. This is the closest Ive ever been to a reactor, and this was too close, poor photo I know! Cameras aren't really too welcome there.
Also, About that song...........Tim McGraw might take exception to it, but I think you knew that.
You can see a million miles tonite, but you can't get very far.
Honorary member of UER lifetime acheivement award winning, 2Xplorations and Guide Services, Texas. |
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Freak
location:
Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| | | Re: Russian Nuclear Lighthouses
<Reply # 11 on 7/20/2009 10:31 PM >
| | | | Posted by Tupsumato
Nuclear-powered lighthouses are pretty clever inventions and should be revived again.
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The US also played around with similar things, mostly in Alaska where the wildlife and natives don't complain about cancer as much:
Fort Greely: nuclear coolant run through the steam tunnels for heat. Mmmm... toasty: http://www.akactio..._Greely_Alaska.htm
Air Force Stronium-90 RTGs left lying around in forest fires, in ANWR (where there's all the fuss about drilling for oil): http://www10.anten...e/379-80/3724.html
It's not just soviet collapse and vandals that can harm these... in addition to wildfires, parts of Alaska are also quite seismically active.
RTG-powered weather station in Alaska: http://en.wikipedi.../wiki/Fairway_Rock
RTG-powered phone taps: http://en.wikipedi...peration_Ivy_Bells
"Eventually, more taps were installed on Soviet lines in other parts of the world, with more advanced instruments built by AT&T's Bell Laboratories that were nuclear powered and could store a year's worth of data."
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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