#nuclear life

[thebettergoat]

HOANMENDES!(pronounce as juanmendes btw)

(Shes also suppost to be based off a cat)

[chequerootlurks]

Photos from Byron Nuclear Plant.

Not my photos. They are all (c) Victoria Lunacek.

The Turbine Hall

This is where the steam generated by the reactors is used to produce power for the grid.

The Control Room

(honestly, the control rooms all look very similar. Ceiling tiles and floor/carpet are sometimes the only way to tell a site from a photo.)

At Byron, there is an average of six Reactor Operators in the control room at any given time. Three per reactor.

Servicing one of the reactors

Info about the Byron facility:

Consistent Excellence Makes Byron Nuclear Plant Special

The Byron Generating Station is arguably Exelon’s best nuclear plant, and consistently among the best performing in the U.S.

More info:

Don't Forget About Nuclear Power

Nuclear energy has a significant presence in Illinois, with 11 reactors spread across six plants. Together, they provide about 11.8 gigawatt

[chequerootlurks]

It’s hot in Chicago. Heat plus brutal humidity.

Today at Dresden Nuclear Generating Station it’s so humid the steam isn’t evaporating from the cooling bays.

[chequerootlurks]

(Note: this is not my facility)

Yesterday I took a bit of time on the upper level watching the water ripple gently. It’s quite relaxing, honestly, and that water is the clearest one will ever see.

No, the fuel doesn’t glow.

The only illumination comes from the lights installed underwater along the sides.

[chequerootlurks]

Nuclear Life:

Front and center, Julie Holzrichter gets a tour of one of her company’s nuclear generating stations near Chicagoland.

Julie is the Chief Operations Officer for CME Group.

These are the dry storage casks for spent fuel.

To learn more about dry casking, please feel free to check out this page to a presentation about the dry storage process it is informative, and has lots of pictures!

[chequerootlurks]

Nuclear Attraction Chapter 1, a simpsons fanfic | FanFiction

Before Waylon Smithers Jr. ever worked for C. M. Burns, his father was the tycoon's friend and trusted companion in more ways than one.

This story takes us through the life of Waylon Smithers Sr, from the time he first started working for Burns, to the final days of his life. Learn what really happened in those years they worked together.

If you haven’t read “Nuclear Attraction,” I gently urge you to give it a read.

At the end of the day, still my favorite story that I’ve written. Interestingly, it’s also one of my most popular works; something I find both surprising, and flattering.

I feel like the dynamic between Monty Burns and Waylon (Senior) is perhaps one of the most poignant yet understated aspects of Burns’ character.

Waylon Sr. is one of the few people Burns ever seemed to truly care about. I could expound upon that, but the way Burns clings to Waylon Sr’s arm seems to do the speaking for me.

Season 13, Episode 5: “The Blunder Years” spoke volumes about their relationship. They are, and forever will be my OTP.

So, if you get the chance or are looking for a different flavor of story to read, check out “Nuclear Attraction;” and, if you’re feeling bold, please let me know what you think.

(photo I took in the simulator for Reactor 2; with my art added in)

[chequerootlurks]

[chequerootlurks]

I saw a post about how bosses aren’t your friend...

... And to a degree this is true. BUT that does not mean we aren’t interested in caring about you as a person!

Employees are more than cogs in a machine. Or at least they should be!

A good boss recognizes individuals, their skills, accomplishments, and needs; and tailors the work environment to those.

GOOD employers CAN and DO care about their employees!

____

Lemme tell you a little story:

My industry works 24/7. We don’t get the luxury of holidays off. I block time-off requests around the holidays.

This is because it saves me having to approve or deny requests off based on seniority. It doesn’t seem fair to me stick new team members with working holidays.

One year, an employee came up to me. They had a sick family member, FML and all that. They asked if they could have the night of Christmas Eve, and Christmas day off to be with their loved ones.

I couldn’t formally grant their request.

So I asked them to email me and I’d “see what I could do.”

When I made the December schedule I was able to give them the 24th, 25th, and 26th off.

I did this by putting myself on a double shift Christmas Day. (We don’t get double pay in our industry, so it wasn’t like I made extra $$$).

They had no idea I’d given them time off till the schedule went live.

_____

The point I’m trying to make is that your boss isn’t always going to be “the enemy,” and it’s not a “you versus them” world.

Treat your boss like a PERSON!, rather than a corporate grunt. We are people, and while some supervisors are shitbags, there are just as many who truly care about the people we manage.

Granted, we might not be friends, because that can undermine structure, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t capable of caring.

A GOOD boss will want to see their people succeed, will fight tooth and nail to keep the employees who want to be there, and will work with their staff rather than against as much as possible.

Even now, my team might not know about times I go to corporate to speak well of them, but I try to make sure everyone feels rewarded and valued as an individual.

I try to give my team the best of me every day!

I only ask that, in return, my team give me their best as well.

I think that’s fair.