Japan Nuke issues..

[Dale00]

The biggest danger of the Japan reactor failures for the U.S. is that it will slow the much needed construction of nuclear plants here in the U.S.

For Japan, the worst case is probably a bad cleanup or containment problem and a teeny tiny increase in cancer rates for some locals who get exposed. http://wormme.com/2011/03/12/incalcuable-danger/
As usual the scare headlines are replacing a needed in-depth discussion.

My limited reading on the subject indicates that the new fluidized bed nuclear reactors being considered for the U.S. are not capable of melting down. We need these as soon as possible.

 

[udiablo]

Fluidized bed reactors my aching..................expect when all is said (by far too many that know nothing) we will find out that there was not much release.

The Fukajima 1 was the oldest of the bunch, and already scheduled to be removed from service soon.

Too bad they had this problem, since it gives the no-nuke nutcases something to run their mouths about.

 

[Cinaet]

A second explosion this morning.

 

[Blinocac200sx]

The maps a fake. Some wanker on godlike productions fessed up to it, of course that's a major tinfoil hat hangout so maybe some believe it's real.

Yeah, my first clue was the fact that it's using Rads. An actual Nuclear Authority would be using Rems.

 

[MaddSkillz]

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77870.html

Looks like Fukushima's No. 2 reactor is feared to start a meltdown.

 

[AKguy1985]

this keeps making me think of godzilla

 

[Rez Exelon]

this keeps making me think of godzilla

Phew! I thought I was the only one!!

 

[webmogul]

I'm surprised no one yet has seen the real causes of those explosions. Most of the media I've seen seems to skim over the cause. It is caused by hydrogen from the sea water coming into contact with the outside air, causing an explosion. They knew it was most likely to happen, but they needed to keep pumping in the sea water to cool the fuel rods. So it isn't the reactor blowing up and spewing radiation or anything.

 

[Dale00]

You can listen to the internet chemtrail guys or the empty talking heads on the news or this gentleman from MIT who knows his stuff:

...One of the fundamental tenets of nuclear power plant design is “Defense in Depth.” This approach leads engineers to design a plant that can withstand severe catastrophes, even when several systems fail. A large tsunami that disables all the diesel generators at once is such a scenario, but the tsunami of March 11th was beyond all expectations. To mitigate such an event, engineers designed an extra line of defense by putting everything into the containment structure (see above), that is designed to contain everything inside the structure.

When the diesel generators failed after the tsunami, the reactor operators switched to emergency battery power. The batteries were designed as one of the backup systems to provide power for cooling the core for 8 hours. And they did.

After 8 hours, the batteries ran out, and the residual heat could not be carried away any more. At this point the plant operators begin to follow emergency procedures that are in place for a “loss of cooling event.” These are procedural steps following the “Depth in Defense” approach. All of this, however shocking it seems to us, is part of the day-to-day training you go through as an operator. ...

...At this time people started talking about the possibility of core meltdown, because if cooling cannot be restored, the core will eventually melt (after several days), and will likely be contained in the containment. Note that the term “meltdown” has a vague definition. “Fuel failure” is a better term to describe the failure of the fuel rod barrier (Zircaloy). This will occur before the fuel melts, and results from mechanical, chemical, or thermal failures (too much pressure, too much oxidation, or too hot). .....

...when the operators started venting the system, some radioactive gases were released to the environment in a controlled manner (ie in small quantities through filters and scrubbers). While some of these gases are radioactive, they did not pose a significant risk to public safety to even the workers on site. This procedure is justified as its consequences are very low, especially when compared to the potential consequences of not venting and risking the containment structures’ integrity.

....At some point during the venting process enough hydrogen gas built up inside the containment (there is no air in the containment), so when it was vented to the air an explosion occurred. The explosion took place outside of the containment, but inside and around the reactor building (which has no safety function). Note that a subsequent and similar explosion occurred at the Unit 3 reactor. This explosion destroyed the top and some of the sides of the reactor building, but did not damage the containment structure or the pressure vessel. While this was not an anticipated event, it happened outside the containment and did not pose a risk to the plant’s safety structures.

Since some of the fuel rod cladding exceeded 1200 °C, some fuel damage occurred. The nuclear material itself was still intact, but the surrounding Zircaloy shell had started failing. At this time, some of the radioactive fission products (cesium, iodine, etc.) started to mix with the water and steam. It was reported that a small amount of cesium and iodine was measured in the steam that was released into the atmosphere.

Since the reactor’s cooling capability was limited, and the water inventory in the reactor was decreasing, engineers decided to inject sea water (mixed with boric acid – a neutron absorber) to ensure the rods remain covered with water. Although the reactor had been shut down, boric acid is added as a conservative measure to ensure the reactor stays shut down. Boric acid is also capable of trapping some of the remaining iodine in the water so that it cannot escape, however this trapping is not the primary function of the boric acid.

The water used in the cooling system is purified, demineralized water. The reason to use pure water is to limit the corrosion potential of the coolant water during normal operation. Injecting seawater will require more cleanup after the event, but provided cooling at the time.

This process decreased the temperature of the fuel rods to a non-damaging level. Because the reactor had been shut down a long time ago, the decay heat had decreased to a significantly lower level, so the pressure in the plant stabilized, and venting was no longer required.

***UPDATE – 3/14 8:15 pm EST***

Units 1 and 3 are currently in a stable condition according to TEPCO press releases, but the extent of the fuel damage is unknown. That said, radiation levels at the Fukushima plant have fallen to 231 micro sieverts (23.1 millirem) as of 2:30 pm March 14th (local time).

***UPDATE – 3/14 10:55 pm EST***

The details about what happened at the Unit 2 reactor are still being determined. The post on what is happening at the Unit 2 reactor contains more up-to-date information. Radiation levels have increased, but to what level remains unknown.

http://mitnse.com/

 

[Rez Exelon]

That might be by far the best series of articles regarding this whole mess that I have seen. Apparantly those MIT guys are kind of smart or something! hehehe