Word: back-up
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...control panels did to find out why the turbine had tripped?and just what steps they took next?will be the object of long investigations. Company spokesmen insisted that most of the procedures had been automatic, implying that all of the complex machinery, with its multiple, supposedly infallible back-up systems, had flipped into computer-controlled action...
...very fact that such an accident is possible has dictated safeguards that make the probability of its occurring infinitesimal. Nuclear reactors are enclosed in reinforced-concrete "containment vessels" capable of withstanding tremendous pressures from within. All reactors are equipped with automatic shut-off and multiple back-up systems so that any "loss of coolant" that could start a system on the slope toward a meltdown can be quickly corrected. The NRC maintains resident inspectors at many plants, makes unannounced inspections of others and, as last week's action demonstrates, is willing to shut down a plant for as long...
...leaks accidentally started an electrical fire in the Browns Ferry nuclear plant at Athens, Ala. The fire short-circuited cables controlling the primary cooling system, causing loss of some of the nuclear-core cooling water. But nothing even close to a meltdown ensued. Although one of the back-up cooling systems was also disabled, technicians used other emergency circuits to cool the reactor down long before the situation approached the critical stage...
...diesel has other shortcomings: it is costly (GM charges $287 extra for it), starts poorly in cold weather and some times causes a car to vibrate. Ford, the No. 2 automaker, regards the diesel as a back-up and hopes to ride into the future on a stratified-charge "proco" (programmed combustion) engine. In it, the fuel is essentially divided into two mix tures of gas and air, one of which is "rich" (high on the gas) and one "lean" (high on air). The two mixtures are burned in sequence in the combustion chamber, and this produces 20% more mileage...
Randolph said the committee prefers using vans because they provide door to door service and are not so crowded as the shuttle buses. She said a second van would provide back-up service and could cover such additional areas as the medical school...