We Almost Lost Detroit [Paperback]

John G. Fuller (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Berkley; Repack edition (April 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425067009
• ISBN-13: 978-0425067000
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,235 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, if dated, book, August 21, 2001

By 

Robert Hill "R L Hill" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We Almost Lost Detroit (Paperback)

Fuller deals very well with the complexities and the failures of the US's first commercial liqiud metal fast breeder reactor. In particular, he is very careful to contrast this advanced but inherently more dangerous design with the common light water reactors nearly everywhere else in the US and abroad. This book IS dated - post 3 Mile Island many reactors in the US had their entire controls systems updated to avoid operator errors and inefficiencies - but the failure of design and operation processes that occured (such as non-documented design changes that didn't make the "final" plans and eventually resulted in the accident!) are still with us today. A good book, and fairly even in treatment, despite a highly cautionary tone.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very clear and cool description of events at the Fermi 1 plant . . ., May 18, 2009

By 

That Was Cool. "TDurden1937" (Phoenix, Arizona, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Almost Lost Detroit (Paperback)

By the way, Nuclear Plants can explode. Certainly not in a mushroom cloud . . . but when the fuel rods are extremely hot and they come into contact with the cooling liquid they are bathed in (usually water) a violent steam explosion occurs. As the book explained, this is probably what happened at the Idaho Falls facility when a steam explosion propelled a graphite rod out of the reactor and impaled a technician through the chest pinning him to the ceiling of the containment vessel overhead.

Neither did he nuclear fuel at Chernobyl explode, yet there were 56 direct deaths and an estimated 4,600 will die from cancer related deaths. A steam explosion there lifted the 2,000 ton lid off of the reactor.

As far as I can make out, one of the major problems with the Fermi 1 plant and Nuclear Energy in general is the huge ego's Nuclear Physicists and engineers have. They think they can take a monster as dangerous as a nuclear reaction and keep it perfectly safe. Throw politics into the stew and their is a recipe for disaster in EVERY nuclear plant every where in the world.

This book clearly illustrates the bone head decision to use molten sodium as the coolant in Fermi 1 and the inherent difficulties it presents. Anyone who has taken high school chemistry knows that elemental sodium is extremely unstable and can only be stored under special conditions. A quote from Wikipedia, "Extreme care is required in handling elemental/metallic sodium. Sodium is potentially explosive in water (depending on quantity) and is a corrosive substance, since it is rapidly converted to sodium hydroxide on contact with moisture. The powdered form may combust spontaneously in air or oxygen. Sodium must be stored either in an inert (oxygen and moisture free) atmosphere (such as nitrogen or argon), or under a liquid hydrocarbon such as mineral oil or kerosene." It is also extremely corrosive. I suppose that is why they decided to use zirconium to protect the container vessel.

The second bone-head decision as explained by this book was the independent decision made my the lead engineer without consulting or telling anyone. He had zirconium plates installed at the bottom of the containment tank. This was an after thought and was not documented in the engineering plans. One came loose from it's fastenings and blocked the circulation of the sodium coolant thus raising the temperature of several of the fuel rod sub-assemblies. Subsequently, it was determined that the reactor had undergone a partial meltdown.

The book describes the difficulties presented by the monumental miscalculation to use molten sodium in the container.This made examination of the interior of the container extremely difficult, and the improvisation of specialized tools were required. It took EIGHT months to drill a hole in the container wall, devise procedures to insert the improvised camera and take pictures of the inside of the vessel. Finally, they were astonished to find a undocumented zirconium plate blocking the cooling system.

Repairs were made and in May 1970, this reactor was again "ready for operation." However, a sodium explosion occurred delaying the start. Astonishingly, the decision was made to make repairs and once again attempt to start up. In October 1970 it finally reached a level of 200 megawatts. Operating at this extremely reduced rate, Fermi 1 was online for less than 2 years when someone with a brain denied renewal of its operating license.

Oops, I have to revise my number one greatest bone-head decision in this ludicrous technological monster . . . building Fermi 1 near a major city. Duh, hello. Anybody home?

Of major interest to me was the documentation this book provided regarding the extent that the government conspired with the nuclear industry in lying to the public about the safety of nuclear power. Several nuclear accidents are cited, the one at Idaho Falls resulting in 3 deaths and one in England. Americans were feed garbage about "nuclear energy being the safest energy there is" even while the industry knew of the extreme hazards of such a power source. They just thought they could make it work safe . . . a great way to make such an important decision, wouldn't you agree.

I did not detect any of the sensationalism or bias in this book that others mention. I found it recounted in cool and editorial style the events which occurred.

My feelings are expressed exactly in the words of Dr.Ian Malcolm in "Jurassic Park" when he said, "God help us. We are in the hands of engineers."

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We almost lost . . . a secret., February 14, 2006

By 

Glows by night (Too near 2 Palo Verde) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Almost Lost Detroit (Mass Market Paperback)

Granted the book is a bit sensational - then again I lived in Detroit at that time and you can bet I would have been hyper-ventilating had I known the China Syndrome was potentiating less than 60 miles away.

Here's the key point: if this was such an itty-bitty bang why was it NEVER mentioned until this book was published?

Rancho Seco, Celilo Village, the Hanford site, 3-mile Island, the USS Thresher -- all nuclear events that blew up in the press for days or weeks - yet NEVER CALLED FORTH A SINGLE MENTION OF FERMI #1.

Sounds like a cover-up to me - and the casual mention that 'a little bit of the core melted' is no small matter - if a little melts, a lot is not far behind and Bang! There goes Detroit!

Worth a read? Yeah. Worth paying attention to the neighborhood, too.