Japanese abandon six nuclear reactors

[skeptic]

Didn't two of them burst this week?

 

[Old Rocks]

The emergency is far from over, and Fox news just made some alarming statements concerning one of the reactors. Have to see what the accuracy of those statements are.

 

[The Gadfly]

I think this still-evolving situation is just a bit more important than scoring political debating points and arguing with each other. The fact is that a reactor of this rather old design has never been tested under these circumstances; hence the end result remains uncertain to some degree we cannot precisely know. Meanwhile, the Japanese have suffered a terrible disaster, and at the very least, this is going to complicate their recovery process.Could we please have a little more concern for them, and a little less for our personal political agendas?

 

[KissMy]

There are many ship based power stations in the world. These troubled nuclear power plants are located right on the ocean. There is no excuse for not ordering one of these ships to that shore to connect to the power plants & provide the power need to run the cooling system.

They could have even brought in some smaller generators to replace the failed back-up generators in the amount of time that has elapsed. The Japanese power company & government have failed to do their jobs properly.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Didn't two of them burst this week?

How would you define burst?

 

[skeptic]

I can't, but reports indicate that two containment vessels breached due to explosions.

Ask me months from now when they have a chance to inspect the reactors up close and personal.

Meanwhile at present all indications are that this event is proving you wrong.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I can't, but reports indicate that two containment vessels breached due to explosions.

Ask me months from now when they have a chance to inspect the reactors up close and personal.

Meanwhile at present all indications are that this event is proving you wrong.

The reports I trust say the vessels might have cracked due to hydrogen explosions outside the vessels, not inside. As for me being wrong, I am trusting my education, and the scientists who understand the stuff even better than I do. The cores no longer generate enough heat to actually meltdown, the only thing we have to do is keep cooling the water in the primary coolant loop. That is a problem because the secondary system, and all the backups, are offline.

The only reason the suppression pools are even being mentioned at this point is that they have developed leaks which allow the water to drain out. In other words, all that is needed to avert all the catastrophe everyone is projecting is some water and power.

 

[AmericanMade76]

God Help Them

 

[Chris]

In Washington, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a congressional hearing that all of the water had evaporated from the spent-fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor. Japanese officials contended Thursday that military spotters had confirmed from the air that there was still water in the pool.

Acting on Jaczko's advice, the White House made its recommendation that U.S. citizens keep 50 miles or more away.

Jaczko told lawmakers that the 50-mile evacuation radius was based largely on concerns about the spent-fuel pool, which is believed to be seriously damaged and responsible for "very significant radiation levels likely around the site." The pool, which contains an estimated 125 tons of uranium fuel pellets, is not enclosed in a containment vessel, and if the pellets start burning, radiation will escape directly into the environment.


Japan nuclear crisis: Japan tries dropping water by helicopter on Fukushima nuclear reactors - latimes.com

 

[Chris]

(Reuters) - Greed in the nuclear industry and corporate influence over the U.N. watchdog for atomic energy may doom Japan to a spreading nuclear disaster, one of the men brought in to clean up Chernobyl said on Tuesday.

Slamming the Japanese response at Fukushima, Russian nuclear accident specialist Iouli Andreev accused corporations and the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of willfully ignoring lessons from the world's worst nuclear accident 25 years ago to protect the industry's expansion.

"After Chernobyl all the force of the nuclear industry was directed to hide this event, for not creating damage to their reputation. The Chernobyl experience was not studied properly because who has money for studying? Only industry.

"But industry doesn't like it," he said in an interview in Vienna where the former director of the Soviet Spetsatom clean-up agency now teaches and advises on nuclear safety.

Chernobyl clean-up expert slams Japan, IAEA | Reuters

 

[Zoom-boing]

In Washington, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a congressional hearing that all of the water had evaporated from the spent-fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor. Japanese officials contended Thursday that military spotters had confirmed from the air that there was still water in the pool.

Acting on Jaczko's advice, the White House made its recommendation that U.S. citizens keep 50 miles or more away.

Jaczko told lawmakers that the 50-mile evacuation radius was based largely on concerns about the spent-fuel pool, which is believed to be seriously damaged and responsible for "very significant radiation levels likely around the site." The pool, which contains an estimated 125 tons of uranium fuel pellets, is not enclosed in a containment vessel, and if the pellets start burning, radiation will escape directly into the environment.


Japan nuclear crisis: Japan tries dropping water by helicopter on Fukushima nuclear reactors - latimes.com

How did Jaczko come to his conclusion?

 

[KissMy]

Japans Government News Organization - NHK just reported:

High radiation level detected 30km from nuke plant

Japan's science ministry says radiation levels of up to 0.17 millisieverts per hour have been detected about 30 kilometers northwest of the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Experts say exposure to those levels for 6 hours would result in absorption of the maximum level considered safe for 1 year. The government has instructed residents living within a 20 to 30 kilometer radius of the plant to stay indoors. The ministry gauged radiation from 9:20 AM to 3:00 PM on Thursday at 28 spots, in areas 20 to 60 kilometers from the plant.

The ministry also observed radiation levels of 0.0183 to 0.0011 millisieverts per hour at most of the observation points. It says these levels are higher than normal but pose no immediate threat to health.

 

[k2skier]

General Electric Mark 1 Reactor ‘Cheaper and Easier’ to Build*|*Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

The warnings were stark and issued repeatedly as far back as 1972: If the cooling systems ever failed at a “Mark 1” nuclear reactor, the primary containment vessel surrounding the reactor would probably burst as the fuel rods inside overheated. Dangerous radiation would spew into the environment.

Now, with one Mark 1 containment vessel damaged at the embattled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and other vessels there under severe strain, the weaknesses of the design — developed in the 1960s by General Electric — could be contributing to the unfolding catastrophe.



G.E. began making the Mark 1 boiling-water reactors in the 1960s, marketing them as cheaper and easier to build — in part because they used a comparatively smaller and less expensive containment structure.

Yet they have not burst, despite your attempts to make me fear for all life on the planet.

Please point out where I hyped any scenarios.

Just the facts on a poorly designed reactor.

It's fine IF everything works normally, problem is shit happens. Now we have a big pile of shit...

 

[Quantum Windbag]

In Washington, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a congressional hearing that all of the water had evaporated from the spent-fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor. Japanese officials contended Thursday that military spotters had confirmed from the air that there was still water in the pool.

Acting on Jaczko's advice, the White House made its recommendation that U.S. citizens keep 50 miles or more away.

Jaczko told lawmakers that the 50-mile evacuation radius was based largely on concerns about the spent-fuel pool, which is believed to be seriously damaged and responsible for "very significant radiation levels likely around the site." The pool, which contains an estimated 125 tons of uranium fuel pellets, is not enclosed in a containment vessel, and if the pellets start burning, radiation will escape directly into the environment.


Japan nuclear crisis: Japan tries dropping water by helicopter on Fukushima nuclear reactors - latimes.com

How did Jaczko come to his conclusion?

He is psychic and can see through the walls of the building from all the way around the world. No American expert has gotten closer than Tokyo to the plants, but our guy knows what is happening inside them.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

General Electric Mark 1 Reactor ‘Cheaper and Easier’ to Build*|*Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

The warnings were stark and issued repeatedly as far back as 1972: If the cooling systems ever failed at a “Mark 1” nuclear reactor, the primary containment vessel surrounding the reactor would probably burst as the fuel rods inside overheated. Dangerous radiation would spew into the environment.

Now, with one Mark 1 containment vessel damaged at the embattled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and other vessels there under severe strain, the weaknesses of the design — developed in the 1960s by General Electric — could be contributing to the unfolding catastrophe.



G.E. began making the Mark 1 boiling-water reactors in the 1960s, marketing them as cheaper and easier to build — in part because they used a comparatively smaller and less expensive containment structure.

Yet they have not burst, despite your attempts to make me fear for all life on the planet.

Please point out where I hyped any scenarios.

Just the facts on a poorly designed reactor.

It's fine IF everything works normally, problem is shit happens. Now we have a big pile of shit...

What he have is a potentially bad problem. Since no one knows exactly what is happening all we really have is conjecture.

 

[Ravi]

In Washington, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a congressional hearing that all of the water had evaporated from the spent-fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor. Japanese officials contended Thursday that military spotters had confirmed from the air that there was still water in the pool.

Acting on Jaczko's advice, the White House made its recommendation that U.S. citizens keep 50 miles or more away.

Jaczko told lawmakers that the 50-mile evacuation radius was based largely on concerns about the spent-fuel pool, which is believed to be seriously damaged and responsible for "very significant radiation levels likely around the site." The pool, which contains an estimated 125 tons of uranium fuel pellets, is not enclosed in a containment vessel, and if the pellets start burning, radiation will escape directly into the environment.


Japan nuclear crisis: Japan tries dropping water by helicopter on Fukushima nuclear reactors - latimes.com

How did Jaczko come to his conclusion?

He said earlier that officials from the Japanese electric company gave him that information.

It seems pretty clear now that he is either correct or close enough...from all reports there is either no water left or very little.

 

[California Girl]

In Washington, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko said at a congressional hearing that all of the water had evaporated from the spent-fuel pool at the No. 4 reactor. Japanese officials contended Thursday that military spotters had confirmed from the air that there was still water in the pool.

Acting on Jaczko's advice, the White House made its recommendation that U.S. citizens keep 50 miles or more away.

Jaczko told lawmakers that the 50-mile evacuation radius was based largely on concerns about the spent-fuel pool, which is believed to be seriously damaged and responsible for "very significant radiation levels likely around the site." The pool, which contains an estimated 125 tons of uranium fuel pellets, is not enclosed in a containment vessel, and if the pellets start burning, radiation will escape directly into the environment.


Japan nuclear crisis: Japan tries dropping water by helicopter on Fukushima nuclear reactors - latimes.com

How did Jaczko come to his conclusion?

He is psychic and can see through the walls of the building from all the way around the world. No American expert has gotten closer than Tokyo to the plants, but our guy knows what is happening inside them.

According to Britains Chief Nuclear Scientist, no one knows how serious the damage is inside the plants. They can't get in there to look, and the monitoring systems have failed. However, the likelihood is that the rods are rapidly running out of water.

He said the fact that they are dropping water from helicopters shows that they are desperate and it the fear of a meltdown is not just a concern, but a probability. Unless they can cool the rods down fast, they are fucked.

 

[KissMy]

Tokyo Passengers Trigger U.S. Airport Detectors, N.Y. Post Says

Radiation detectors at Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare airports were triggered when passengers from flights that started in Tokyo passed through customs, the New York Post reported.

Tests at Dallas-Fort Worth indicated low radiation levels in travelers’ luggage and in the aircraft’s cabin filtration system; no passengers were quarantined, the newspaper said.

 

[KissMy]

UN atomic chief cites clock race in Japan crisis

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear energy agency says Japan is racing against the clock to cool the overheating nuclear reactors at its crippled power plant.

International Atomic Energy Agency head Yukiya Amano gave the critical assessment after flying into Tokyo on Friday and being briefed by Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

Amano says he underscored his concern about the extreme seriousness of the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant.

A week after the earthquake and tsunami damaged the plant, authorities are still trying to reconnect a power supply to restart cooling systems. One reactor, Unit 3, is drawing urgent concern, with its nuclear fuel storage pool dangerously low of water, exposing the stored fuel rods.

 

[KissMy]

Japan asks for US help in nuclear crisis

Japan reached out Friday to the U.S. for help in reining in the crisis at its dangerously overheated nuclear complex, while the U.N. atomic energy chief called the disaster a race against the clock that demands global cooperation.

At the stricken complex, military fire trucks began spraying the troubled reactor units again Friday morning, with tons of water arcing over the facility in desperate attempts to douse the units and prevent meltdowns that could spew dangerous levels of radiation.

"The whole world, not just Japan, is depending on them," Tokyo office worker Norie Igarashi, 44, said of the emergency teams at the plants.