Monticello Essay

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Summary Written By: Bradley Penney Tour: Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant Date: 8/14/15 Time: 8:15 Location: Monticello, MN Tour Guide: Michelle Kelley The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is a 671 MW boiling water nuclear reactor that generates around 10% of the electricity used by Xcel Energy customers in the Midwest. Monticello is a base load plant, which means it always runs to provide base load power round the clock. The facility is one of Xcel’s lowest cost power generating facilities on a per-megawatt basis. Its facility is located on a 215-acre site northwest of the Twin City Metro area, right on the bank of the Mississippi River, Figure 1. Monticello is the host of a boiling water reactor. In a boiling …show more content…

The spent fuel pools were viewed from the top floor of the reactor building, just above the reactor vessels. Below 15 feet of water, fuel assemblies were immersed being kept cool and stable. A slight blue glow could be seen in the water of the spent fuel pool. Also, the donut shaped Taurus filled with water for protective reasons was walked on. The Taurus itself only was about 25 feet from the reactor vessel. Just knowing that through that concrete wall was a nuclear reactor was incredible. Q1: How long is the plant commissioned to be in service for? The plant originally had a 40 year license which was set to expire in 2011, however in 2006 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted Monticello a new operating license. This will allow the plant to run until 2030. Even with this in mind the plant could reapply for another extension, that is why it has gone to many measures to upgrade the major parts. Q2: Is the steam radioactive, and how is this dealt with if it is? The steam is radioactive, and the water that is in the reactor vessel and that drives the turbine is isolated and kept separate from the water that is taken and released to

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