Proposed Website submission to Universal Warning:Yucca Mountain Design Competition
Proposed Website submission to Universal Warning:Yucca Mountain Design Competition
Contents:
Website Proposal with Preliminary
Requirements Analysis
Description:
The developed website will contain a computer generated simulation of the product of the following proposal:
My proposal for a universal warning sign at Yucca Mountain is an extremely large, durable device (see drawings) based on the popular pop-up timer found in Thanksgiving turkeys (How a Pop-Up Turkey Timer Works). The pop-up timer device is simple in design and saves housewives the muss and fuss of using and cleaning meat thermometers. The pop-up device inserted in the bird at the turkey processing plant simply pops up when an internal temperature of 180F/81C is reached. This is achieved through the use of a solder like metal compound with a low melting point (180F/81C). When this temperature is reached the metal melts releasing a spring which pops the internal plastic section. This action signals to the housewife/mother that soon her family shall be sitting down to give thanks for all the wonderful devices and technologies that make life so wonderful.
In much the same way, my proposed device shall let inhabitants know that it is once again safe to dig Yucca Mountain. The device shall also act as a warning sign letting inhabitants know that a danger exists beneath it. This shall be accomplished by using a "to be determined" set of symbols deeply etched into the circular top of the inner pop-up cylinder. The device shall measure the disintegration/degradation of the high-level radioactive wastes in both Curie (Ci) and becquerel (Bq) levels. These are measures of the disintegration activity of atoms at a radioactive source. One becquerel = 2.7 x 10 (to the minus 11) curie. When a safe and acceptable level is reached the pop-up device which has previously served as a warning signal shall now become the indicator that all is clear and it is safe to enter the subterrestrial areas of Yucca Mountain High Level Nuclear Waste Repository once again.
The website will also contain the other two elements described in the Requirements and Function Specifications document.