Tin Whiskers Shut Down Millstone Reactor

Engineers have long struggled with tin whiskers, which are microscopic, hair-like metal filaments that spontaneously grow on surfaces plated with tin. These conductive strands can bridge circuits and cause unexpected short circuits, leading to failures in satellites, medical devices, and weapons systems. In one documented case, tin whiskers caused a short at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Connecticut in 2005, shutting down a reactor for 48 hours.

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