The West Winford Incident (19 page)

“Well, you've no cause to worry on that score,” he added. “Although I had intended to let you know nearer the end of the year, I can reveal now that, on my recommendation, the national grading assessors are intending to sanction that upgrading with effect from the first of January.” Dave was delighted that his efforts had been rewarded.

Then the bitter pill.

“So I hope that you feel that you are appreciated. However, as far as your recent results, relating to the Winford situation, are concerned, we want you to hang on to your data just for the present. It would not be a good time to publish just yet.”

Dave was flabbergasted. “But this is a most significant development and if it isn't publicised now it will lose its impact,” urged Dave.

Sweety went on to explain that he had been in discussion with, not only Tony, but also the Head of Research in the SSA and that was what had been agreed. Accordingly, both Professor Fletcher and the press office had been directed to withhold publication. It had been decided that the Slough hypothesis should stand and that the Corrosion Sub-Committee would, for the present at least, be suspended. David would surely agree that it would bring the credibility of the Authority into question if, after sponsoring a conference explaining the conclusions of the Winford disc failure enquiry, they were to come up with a different explanation only a month later. Dave was tempted to say that he had questioned the Slough hypothesis from the start and now he was being punished, however, what he did point out was there was an important safety issue involved, as well as the risk of further failures.

“David,” soothed Sweety, “you can take it from me that our decision to halt all overspeed testing and our introduction of a rolling turbine disc refurbishment programme, will reduce any slight risk to an acceptable level. In fact, if we did publish your results, it would not make any difference. It just wouldn't be practical. We certainly couldn't close down all our turbines with the winter approaching, I'm sure that you can appreciate that.”

“But what about the other utilities, they have similar turbines running, in addition to many overseas. My results have international implications. If just one other turbine fails someone else could be killed.”

“I'm sorry. The decision has been made, there is nothing I can do, even at my level, to alter it. There would be nothing gained by causing panic. We shall be advising the other utilities in due course.”

“I'm afraid that I cannot accept that.” Dave was shaking with emotion. “Don't forget that the national press have already been involved.”

“I shall ignore that remark,” said Sweety firmly. “There's nothing more to be said.” Dave looked across at his Section Head and, to give him his due, Tony had been uncomfortable throughout these exchanges.

Dave had, by this time, worked himself up into a state which didn't entertain any thoughts of calm reflection and he voiced his feelings, suggesting that resignation might be his only option. Sweety did not appear to react in the way that Dave had anticipated. He was still reasonable.

“Come, come, David, do take time to think things over. Give it a couple of days. Resigning wouldn't achieve anything, as you would still be bound by the Official Secrets Act.”

Dave was confused and angry. He realised that he was not thinking clearly. He was so damned mad and Sweety was sitting there so smugly. He needed time to think properly. He stood up abruptly and left. Back in his office he couldn't face his colleagues so, grabbing his jacket, he hurried to his car and drove off the site.

He was pale and still shaking an hour later as he sat in his car in a lay-by on the A4 just below the White Horse at Cherhill. His reaction to the situation was intensified by the past weeks of gradually increasing tension, leading up to this crisis. He got out and walked briskly up the chalk path to the monument. He hadn't realised how quickly he had been walking, but when he reached the summit he was breathing heavily. He sat down on the steps of the monument and gazed across the patchwork Wiltshire countryside spreading to the north. There was a stiff breeze blowing, which was often the case at this spot, but Dave didn't notice. He contemplated the situation more calmly. He believed that resigning was his only option, but there was still the problem of the Official Secrets Act. What would he achieve? These thoughts annoyed him; made him feel impotent.

He acknowledged that he had handled things badly. There was no doubt in his mind, however, that Sweety and his paymasters were completely out of order. No matter how blandly they put their argument, they still could not justify risking people's lives. Turbine operators and other operating staff should be warned of the risk. If the unions or the newspapers found out, there would be hell to pay and where would he stand? As he attempted to put these thoughts in order, his annoyance at the way he'd mishandled the interview galled him. He had achieved nothing. If he did nothing he would be as culpable as the rest, should the worst occur.

If he acted immediately, he felt confident that a technical note could be in print in the next edition of
The Digest
, which was September. This would serve as a warning to other utilities at home and, as it was an international publication, it would also attract worldwide attention. This would cost him his job and possibly lead to prosecution. Was he prepared to accept this?

He drove home to an empty house. Sue was out with Pam. At any other time this may have annoyed him, but he hardly noticed and was surprised when Sue and the girls came chatteringly in. Sue, together with Pam and the girls, had spent the day in Bath.

Later, Dave related the day's events with increasing animation to Sue, who showed her concern which, genuinely, was for her husband's feelings, rather than the more general risk to the family's stability. In view of these developments, she decided not to reveal that she had received a phone call from the Chief Accountant of Henderson Engineering that morning, notifying her that her job application had been successful. It was this news that had prompted her to invite Pam out. Had she been aware of the appalling treatment her husband had received and his understandable reaction, she would have cancelled her day out and gone to look for him. She would have been alarmed, as she had been concerned about his mental state recently. As it was, Sue took the opportunity, whilst Dave was rummaging through his work papers upstairs, to call Tony to get a better idea of the situation.

Tony expressed his regret, but impressed on Sue that there was nothing he or Dave could do to alter the situation nor, for that matter, could Sweety. The decision had come from a much higher quarter, and so they might as well just accept it and move on. Certainly, the threat of her husband resigning would have no impact at all on the levels of management from which the decision had been handed down.

Sue awoke with a start and found herself alone. Donning her dressing gown, she went down to the sitting room where, to her relief, she found Dave. He was sitting staring out through the French windows, clearly distressed. He had been weeping. She was amazed to think that in just a few months her husband could have changed so much. At the beginning of the year he had been so different. He was a conscientious worker, always had been, but he had a great personality and enjoyed family life with her and the girls. They weren't a burden in those days. The change was alarming. He had joined the SSA and had worked hard, which was quite natural when beginning a new job. Then, a more noticeable change in his behaviour, as he took on a leading role in the Winford investigation. He had sensed that this was his big chance. Such opportunities didn't come along often, especially for someone with his background. He had been determined to grasp it. From that moment he had been completely driven by ambition. Sue felt herself to be responsible, although she had had no way of knowing how things would turn out. She determined to redouble her efforts to get their relationship back to how they were. The timing was unfortunate, but she would have to turn down her job offer. She consoled herself in the belief that there would be others. Her first priority was to support her husband. To begin with she needed to establish the situation from his point of view, which required calm discussion.

She cuddled up beside him and began by asking whether he had come to any conclusion yet, adding that he could count upon her support whatever his decision. She just wanted him to be sure in his own mind before doing anything dramatic. The easiest course would be to accept the situation and get on with his research project at Thornton Power Station. This would also be the best from the family's point of view, but she understood that for him, there was a matter of principle to be considered. She shared his sense of injustice and it made her angry. Dave was calmer and he explained that, in some ways, he was pleased that the decision to suppress his results had come from the highest level within the Authority and that it wasn't Sweety who had made it. It felt less of a betrayal somehow.

He admitted, a major reason for his outrage was that he was being prevented from claiming credit for his work, but he hoped that his concern about the risk of someone else actually losing their life unnecessarily, was overriding. The thought of someone's son, husband or father being killed would be on his conscience and he just couldn't imagine how he'd feel, should the worst happen. Worldwide, he guessed that there were several hundred turbines of similar design to those at Winford. The primary reason for the violent failure at Winford, was that the disc steel was unusually brittle and thus it was less likely that others would fail, until deeper cracks were formed. However, as most of the other turbines had been in service for longer than those at Winford, there was still a distinct risk.

He was appalled at the SSA management, whose motives were blatantly political. They realised that if his results became public they would have no option but to close down at least Winford and Thornton power stations immediately, and what red faces there would be within the senior ranks of an organisation set up to ensure integrity of supplies.

As the sun rose and cast its early light into the sitting room, via the French windows, Dave came to a decision, of sorts. He would take a step back and consider the whole question as unemotionally as possible. He decided to take off for the day with a packed lunch. Seeing Sue's reaction, he assured her that he wasn't planning anything dramatic, but felt that a day's trek along the Ridgeway, which he had intended to do sometime, would be a good way of thinking the whole thing through.

There were several cars already parked at Overton Hill beside the Ridgeway path early that morning, but no sign of their occupants. The usual stiff breeze was blowing in from his left, the rough grass moving in waves up the hillside, as he set off northwards. The flinty track became more rutted as he climbed the first slope.

Gradually, he became less conscious of his surroundings, as he began mentally to rewind the past months of the Winford investigation, through his mind. He recounted the important developments. Despite his success with the on-site exposure specimens and the laboratory stress corrosion tests, his investigation was not complete and it could be argued that it was the most important part that remained to be discovered. Just how could cracks initiate in what, to all intents and purposes, was pure water? It was the answer to this question that was required before he could write his definitive paper and so, for the present, that was not an issue. He had to be patient. Realistically, it could be the best part of a year before he could expect to see his detailed hypothesis in print.

His immediate dilemma really came down to the question of the technical note, which did not require such a rigorous treatment. This note would serve two distinct purposes. It was an opportunity to announce his amazing results quickly but, more importantly, it would alert all power plant operators (and this particular publication was directed towards such people) to the serious risk in operating turbines of the Winford type.

He blushed at the thought that he, an ordinary Birmingham lad, would have his name linked with this important advance in corrosion science. However, he had no illusions that his note alone would be sufficient to cause all turbine operators around the world to suddenly remove vulnerable turbines from service, as that would be impractical. His, more realistic, hope was that his recommendation, to cancel all routine overspeed tests, would be accepted, which could prove to be the difference between life and death. This information could be made available quickly and with luck, might be in time for the forthcoming issue of
International Power Digest
, though it would be touch and go. Having written it, he wondered if he would have the nerve to submit it for publication, in defiance of the wishes of his superiors and, more seriously, accepting the risk of prosecution. He found this to be a persistent, nagging worry that would not go away and the more he considered it, the more convinced he became that he had no option. It was a terrifying prospect. The possibility of major disruption to family life. Another move? This was so disheartening, after they had all finally settled so well, but how could this be compared with someone losing their life? A bleak prospect indeed.

What? He was surprised to have reached the Marlborough to Swindon road at Southend already. He checked his watch. He had been walking for two hours. He hadn't noticed his surroundings; had walked unconsciously through the hill-fort at Barbury Castle.

Although the future looked uncertain, he felt more at ease with himself having at least analysed the situation. There was little else that he could do. There may be further developments by the time he returned to work. He could only wait.

He set off on his return journey and at the hill-fort, he settled down on the grass ramparts to eat his lunch.

Having clarified his thoughts, he was able to take in the marvellous scenery which he'd missed on his way north. As he began the final descent, he noticed a ridge running away to the left forming a shallow valley across Fyfield Down. Here, sheep were grazing contently amongst the scattered stones on the lower slopes. On the horizon to his right, the monument which he had climbed up to the previous day was shining whitely in the sunshine.

So he would return to work and continue with the crack initiation studies and get his full paper developed, which he was determined to get published, as soon as this final element was completed, whatever the consequences.

One thing he did not resolve, did not even consider, was the deterioration in his family relationships. Even though severely chastened by recent setbacks, his focus had not been disturbed, his obsession with his work clearly undiminished. In contrast, this crisis had triggered more radical thoughts for his wife.

*

Sue, although having some nagging doubts, was relieved that her husband had not taken precipitous action on his return to work, but seemed to have settled into a comparatively normal working regime. He was, however, more introverted and engrossed in his own thoughts for much of the time. She realised that this was a critical time in their lives. Despite all her recent feelings for her own situation and her relationship with Peter, she knew that now, faced with this crisis, family interests came first. This might be viewed as a betrayal of all her own aspirations as a woman, but she had no doubt that this was a price she was willing to pay. Making this radical reappraisal of her priorities did not mean giving up her interests, but rather adjusting where necessary to minimise conflict within the family, at this difficult time for Dave. The first thing was, with great reluctance, to notify Henderson's that she would not be accepting their job offer. She was consoled by the thought that it had served to restore her confidence and that she was not incapable of obtaining employment, which would be a help when the time was right.

*

Dave was working at home. The urgency of solving his crack initiation problem was driving him. He was scanning through his preliminary results.

“Those are nice. What are they?” asked Jo.

“These photographs do you mean?”

“Yes. Nice design.”

“They're pictures of metal samples under an optical microscope. They're steel specimens that have been immersed in various solutions for a short time, to check for early signs of corrosion.”

“What are all these bits?”

“The main part, this light coloured background is, more or less, iron. The dark grey, needle shaped structure is made up of carbon rich areas and the light grey particles are impurities of manganese sulphide. The whole structure is normal for this type of steel, which is making it difficult for me to solve an urgent problem.”

“What about that blob there?”

“I just told you, they're manganese sulphide.”

“But that one's different.”

Dave looked more closely.

“I don't see any difference.”

“Well, it's got a fine black border around it. None of the others have. Can't you see? It's time you got some glasses. Can I have a copy of that photograph? It's really neat.”

“Yes, but let me keep this one for now, as I'll need it to recheck the sample.”

That was his first job the following morning. He found the sample from which the photograph had been taken and re-examined it. It was difficult to be sure of the exact area Jo had seen but, after a lengthy search, he thought he recognised the features from the pattern of the grains surrounding it. He increased the magnification and he could now see the outlined particle Jo had mentioned. Comparing this with the other manganese sulphide areas, he could see a clear difference. Having decided that the electron microscope would provide more information, he went in search of John Bolton. It was a good decision. The three dimensional image took his breath away. Whilst virtually all of the manganese sulphide particles were in intimate contact with the surrounding matrix of iron, the one picked out by Jo was separated by a narrow, but deep, crevice. It appeared to be the result of localised corrosion, between the particle and the surrounding metal. So this ‘active' particle was different from the rest and had produced a corrosion crevice which, in time, would result in the formation of a pit as the attack developed. He was elated. This certainly fitted the requirement as a crack initiator, for which he had been searching. This was a credible reason for the presence of cracking in his plain specimens, in high purity water and, more importantly, in the Winford LP turbine discs. It was likely that the ‘active' particle had a slightly different composition from the majority of the other sulphides. He reviewed many of his earlier samples and found that many contained such ‘active' particles. Some of these were elliptical in shape and so, as corrosion developed, the resultant pit was noticeably crack-like.

That evening Dave, still in a state of euphoria, told Jo that he had re-examined the specimen which she had pointed out.

“You really are a superstar, Jo. This is the final piece of the jigsaw for which I've been searching. You should really be doing science, you know.”

“Not likely. You must know that I get the same kick out of art as you do science. Even so, it's nice to know that we arty-types can still sort out your science problems.”

“It is a shame that science and art folk do seem to keep aloof.”

“More's the pity, I say. I mean that chap, Einstein, did OK I suppose, but how much more successful might he have been if he'd embraced art and got himself a decent hair-stylist.”

*

As things turned out, Sue was pleasantly surprised to find that she was able to work her other interests around the family, without much adjustment. Her indexing work had started again, following a summer break, plus Pam was back and so they resumed their regular excursions. Of course, she spent time poring over her Boughton notes, attempting to sort out the Pulham families, as well as considering how she could live up to her silent promise to her Caroline Potten and unravel her family history. So the time passed pleasantly. As the late autumn was staying so fine, she and Pam had made it a regular habit to walk for an hour or so around the Highwood Estate, or as Pam put it, “Hey old girl, fancy a stroll in my garden?” Keeping her eyes open in case the ‘Mellors' look-a-like appeared, added more interest to these occasions.

*

“Fancy a trip?” Dave looked at his Section Head with interest. Just what he could do with, a change of scene.

He had intended to let Tony know that his latest crack initiation studies had finally provided the evidence for which he had been searching. It was clear that the most critical part of the disc cracking process was the initiation of a sharp pit. He had finally, thanks to Jo, found evidence that such defects could arise in high purity hot water. This had revealed that localised attack of the steel surface often began at certain ‘active' sulphide particles, which were always present in commercial steels. Relatively deep pits could be produced, even in high purity water, as the local chemistry at the bottom of such pits was known to become acidic as corrosion progressed, the defects could deepen as this aggressive solution developed. Although the reason why not all particles were subject to this attack was unclear, he felt that would be best left for the Slough scientists to investigate.