Post by diane9247 on Apr 15, 2015 1:36:16 GMT
This is a good example of collaborative effort that can happen on the Google Earth community. It is a collection of lighthouses on Novaya Zemlya, a large archipelago in Arctic Russia. My original post was simply a question: are these lighthouses...? It contained replies by Barnstormer, who found additional lighthouses and Hill, who found valuable information about what specific kinds of lighthouses these most certainly are. Thus, the post developed into several placemarks and fascinating information about abandoned strontium-90 waste in the Barents Sea.
Hill's contributions...
Lighthouses powered by a strong radiation (RTG) are located in remote areas along the Russian Arctic coast.
Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Exactly ten years ago Bellona reported the whereabouts of 132 nuclear-powered lighthouses situated along the north coast in Russia. The closest one was just a few dozen meters from the Norwegian border. Since 1993 Bellona has warned of the possible radioactive leaks into the environment and the threat of theft of the radioactive strontium-90 in the unguarded and distantly situated lighthouses.
The lighthouses are located in the area without available electricity sources. They are powered by so-called radio thermoelectric generators, or RTGs, in which the strong strontium source of energy produces heat to power a generator. The generator finally produces electricity to power the lamp in the lighthouse.
Strontium-90 is a waste product generated in a nuclear reactor. The USSR had access to this product thanks to the large reprocessing facilities in Siberia. Similar power sources were used in distant radars, weather stations and satellites since the mid-1960s.
According to the dismissed environmental committee, Russia possessed 500 operative RTG.
Leaks and theft
Strontium-90 has half-live decay period of 30 years, so the lighthouses can operate without any inspection for many years. Bellona considers the lighthouses to be a threat to the environment's safety. It can take many years before any theft or radioactive leak is noticed, as the lighthouses are not inspected.
Such lighthouses are situated along the coast of the Kola Peninsula, around the White Sea and on Novaya Zemlya. An unknown number of lighthouses are located in Baltic Sea, along the northern sea route in Siberia and around Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. [Source, 2003]
And...
Usage of Isotope Batteries along the Arctic Sea coast
The present author encountered the high radiation from the nuclear powered battery along the Arctic coast in summer 1993. Along the Arctic coast, many cargo ships transport goods between the far eastern and far western regions. In order to support the traffic, temporal light houses have been constructed on the land near by the coast. A typical light house is shown in Fig. 5. Most of the light houses are powered by Isotope batteries because in these cold and remote sites it is difficult to replace and maintain conventional chemical batteries. Inside the Isotope battery there is highly radioactive material such as 90Sr, with an intensity of 1.4 tera becquerel (360,000 curie). If one stands within 2 meters of the battery, one is exposed to high gamma radiation. If the ambient temperature is lower, the efficiency of power generation gets better. Usually this type of battery is mounted in a Satellite as a power source.
Typical light house along the Arctic coast, powered by Isotope battery
Because of the high radiation from the battery, the special concern for its operation must be regulated by law. But in the area in remote places, these dangerous batteries are subject to no regulations. Our radioactive meter indicated the level of gamma ray is 800 times higher than the normal level. On some occasions, accidents have taken place due to mishandling. In 1991, near the river mouth of the Kondrashev River, one of the Isotope batteries was crashed into by a tractor. The area was highly contaminated by 90Sr. The surface of ground was scarped over 3 km2 and was dumped into the sea. Some casualties were also reported. In 1988, off Sakhalin, a navy helicopter crashed and sank into sea with an active Isotope battery. According to a source in the Russian Navy, the total number of locations, where similar types of Isotope batteries are used, is 900 or more. The security of the operation is very poor and anyone can touch, or even steal, them. No fence was constructed to prevent the accidental contact by local people. Most local people do not realize the hazardous nature of Isotope batteries. In some local airports in east Siberia, there exist hot spots with high radiation. For example, the airport of UST Nera reported high radiation in some spots in the airstrip. Similarly, the airport of Chokurdakh also reported high radiation. No direct evidence indicating the source of radiation was found. Local authorities had no information on this matter and even they are reluctant to open this fact to the public.
[Source, 1998]
I added...
The article goes on to say there are about 1,000 RTGs in Russia and all of them have exceeded their engineering life span, many by a decade (in 2003), as anonymously told to Bellona by "a source in the [Russian] Defense Ministry." The military runs the largest number of them, so it makes sense there would be at least a few on Novaya Zemlya. Clearly, this problem was considered hazardous at least as long ago as 1998.
Abandoned RTGs on the Kola Peninsula. Finnmark county government
Lights on Novaya Zemlya.kmz (1.69 KB)
Hill's contributions...
Lighthouses powered by a strong radiation (RTG) are located in remote areas along the Russian Arctic coast.Photo: Thomas Nilsen
Exactly ten years ago Bellona reported the whereabouts of 132 nuclear-powered lighthouses situated along the north coast in Russia. The closest one was just a few dozen meters from the Norwegian border. Since 1993 Bellona has warned of the possible radioactive leaks into the environment and the threat of theft of the radioactive strontium-90 in the unguarded and distantly situated lighthouses.
The lighthouses are located in the area without available electricity sources. They are powered by so-called radio thermoelectric generators, or RTGs, in which the strong strontium source of energy produces heat to power a generator. The generator finally produces electricity to power the lamp in the lighthouse.
Strontium-90 is a waste product generated in a nuclear reactor. The USSR had access to this product thanks to the large reprocessing facilities in Siberia. Similar power sources were used in distant radars, weather stations and satellites since the mid-1960s.
According to the dismissed environmental committee, Russia possessed 500 operative RTG.
Leaks and theft
Strontium-90 has half-live decay period of 30 years, so the lighthouses can operate without any inspection for many years. Bellona considers the lighthouses to be a threat to the environment's safety. It can take many years before any theft or radioactive leak is noticed, as the lighthouses are not inspected.
Such lighthouses are situated along the coast of the Kola Peninsula, around the White Sea and on Novaya Zemlya. An unknown number of lighthouses are located in Baltic Sea, along the northern sea route in Siberia and around Kamchatka in the Russian Far East. [Source, 2003]
And...
Usage of Isotope Batteries along the Arctic Sea coast
The present author encountered the high radiation from the nuclear powered battery along the Arctic coast in summer 1993. Along the Arctic coast, many cargo ships transport goods between the far eastern and far western regions. In order to support the traffic, temporal light houses have been constructed on the land near by the coast. A typical light house is shown in Fig. 5. Most of the light houses are powered by Isotope batteries because in these cold and remote sites it is difficult to replace and maintain conventional chemical batteries. Inside the Isotope battery there is highly radioactive material such as 90Sr, with an intensity of 1.4 tera becquerel (360,000 curie). If one stands within 2 meters of the battery, one is exposed to high gamma radiation. If the ambient temperature is lower, the efficiency of power generation gets better. Usually this type of battery is mounted in a Satellite as a power source.
Typical light house along the Arctic coast, powered by Isotope batteryBecause of the high radiation from the battery, the special concern for its operation must be regulated by law. But in the area in remote places, these dangerous batteries are subject to no regulations. Our radioactive meter indicated the level of gamma ray is 800 times higher than the normal level. On some occasions, accidents have taken place due to mishandling. In 1991, near the river mouth of the Kondrashev River, one of the Isotope batteries was crashed into by a tractor. The area was highly contaminated by 90Sr. The surface of ground was scarped over 3 km2 and was dumped into the sea. Some casualties were also reported. In 1988, off Sakhalin, a navy helicopter crashed and sank into sea with an active Isotope battery. According to a source in the Russian Navy, the total number of locations, where similar types of Isotope batteries are used, is 900 or more. The security of the operation is very poor and anyone can touch, or even steal, them. No fence was constructed to prevent the accidental contact by local people. Most local people do not realize the hazardous nature of Isotope batteries. In some local airports in east Siberia, there exist hot spots with high radiation. For example, the airport of UST Nera reported high radiation in some spots in the airstrip. Similarly, the airport of Chokurdakh also reported high radiation. No direct evidence indicating the source of radiation was found. Local authorities had no information on this matter and even they are reluctant to open this fact to the public.
[Source, 1998]
I added...
Two strontium powered lighthouses vandalised on the Kola Peninsula
Igor Kudrik, 17/11-2003
Two Strontium containing Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, or RTGs, used to power navigation beacons and lighthouses were found literally ripped to pieces by unknown vandals during regular checks by the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet in the area of the Kola Peninsula [Murmansk Oblast] last week.
The damage was so severe that Murmansk Regional officials designated the incident as a "radioactive accident."
It is assumed by local authorities that the vandals were scavenging for valuable metals, including stainless steel, lead and aluminium, all of which could easily be dumped on the scrap metal market in Murmansk. But the vandals also took with them the depleted uranium casing, which is used to protect the RTG's strontium-90 cores.
The strontium-90 cores—which have a half life of 26.5 years— were left at the sites of the navigation devices. They are highly radioactive—emitting some 1000 roentgens per hour—and local police officials and officials from the Murmansk Regional Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in interviews with Bellona Web that the suspects could well be dead or seriously ill. They have therefore expanded their search for the suspects to include not only the areas from where the RTG's were stolen, but to Murmansk area hospitals as well. They are also combing local metal scrap yards, a Murmansk FSB official said in a telephone interview.
[....]
No overview or control of RTGs
The destroyed RTGs are the responsibility of the Russian Ministry of Defence, which carried out periodic checks on the units—that are still locatable—once or twice a year. Many RTGs in the Arctic north of Siberia and the coast of the rough Russian Far East have, according to sources at Minatom, literally been lost, or "orphaned."
[....]
...RTGs represent an obvious non-proliferation threat. Their strontium components can easily be fashioned by terrorists into a so-called "dirty bomb," which is a conventional bomb stuffed full of radioactive materials. Fear of such radiological dispersal devices has grown the world over after the attacks of September 11th 2001. [Source]
Igor Kudrik, 17/11-2003
Two Strontium containing Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, or RTGs, used to power navigation beacons and lighthouses were found literally ripped to pieces by unknown vandals during regular checks by the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet in the area of the Kola Peninsula [Murmansk Oblast] last week.
The damage was so severe that Murmansk Regional officials designated the incident as a "radioactive accident."
It is assumed by local authorities that the vandals were scavenging for valuable metals, including stainless steel, lead and aluminium, all of which could easily be dumped on the scrap metal market in Murmansk. But the vandals also took with them the depleted uranium casing, which is used to protect the RTG's strontium-90 cores.
The strontium-90 cores—which have a half life of 26.5 years— were left at the sites of the navigation devices. They are highly radioactive—emitting some 1000 roentgens per hour—and local police officials and officials from the Murmansk Regional Federal Security Service, or FSB, said in interviews with Bellona Web that the suspects could well be dead or seriously ill. They have therefore expanded their search for the suspects to include not only the areas from where the RTG's were stolen, but to Murmansk area hospitals as well. They are also combing local metal scrap yards, a Murmansk FSB official said in a telephone interview.
[....]
No overview or control of RTGs
The destroyed RTGs are the responsibility of the Russian Ministry of Defence, which carried out periodic checks on the units—that are still locatable—once or twice a year. Many RTGs in the Arctic north of Siberia and the coast of the rough Russian Far East have, according to sources at Minatom, literally been lost, or "orphaned."
[....]
...RTGs represent an obvious non-proliferation threat. Their strontium components can easily be fashioned by terrorists into a so-called "dirty bomb," which is a conventional bomb stuffed full of radioactive materials. Fear of such radiological dispersal devices has grown the world over after the attacks of September 11th 2001. [Source]
The article goes on to say there are about 1,000 RTGs in Russia and all of them have exceeded their engineering life span, many by a decade (in 2003), as anonymously told to Bellona by "a source in the [Russian] Defense Ministry." The military runs the largest number of them, so it makes sense there would be at least a few on Novaya Zemlya. Clearly, this problem was considered hazardous at least as long ago as 1998.
Lights on Novaya Zemlya.kmz (1.69 KB)