Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant

[Fatmas]

Fukushima is a triumph for nuke power: Build more reactors now! ? The Register


Very good analysis of how safe the power plant actually is.

*Ninja Edit: Unless something else happens

[MK-2]

if it all goes t*ts up, i'm blaming you personally

a very good read, and something the BBC should be forwarded. with their reporting you'd think 99% of the Japanese population were sprouting third arms and wings!

[LeMarchand]

you'd think 99% of the Japanese population were sprouting third arms and wings!

If their anime is anything to go by...

[mattx]

Excellent article and one the media should really try and inform the people of instead of the scare mongering clap trap they are festering to the public at the moment.

[JJonas]

Fuel rods exposed again according to AP Agency and Sky News

[Martin]

The BBC reporting is a disgrace

Richard Black (Environment correspondent) says at Meltdown alert at Japan reactor

Without coolant around the rods, temperatures can rise to hundreds of degrees Celsius, almost certainly resulting in some melting.

This opens the possibility of a serious meltdown - where molten, highly radioactive reactor core falls through the floor of the containment vessel and into the ground underneath.

...and yet reading Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation by Dr Josef Oehmen, from which the El Reg article was based...

The Zircaloy tubes (the first level of "containment") have a melting point of 2200 °C and Uranium oxide has a very high melting point of about 3000 °C - somewhat more than a few hundred degrees.

Also, the Dr Josef Oehmenk article states that "The third containment is designed, built and tested for one single purpose: To contain, indefinitely, a complete core meltdown.", so no molten core dripping out onto the soil as Black suggests

mb

[Arthur]

Here are some more really interesting articles. Basically, there's nothing to worry about.

http://www.kalzumeus.com/2011/03/13/...an-earthquake/
https://morgsatlarge.wordpress.com/2...lear-reactors/

[srochford]

This BBC article BBC News - Japan nuclear alert at Fukushima - Q&A is better; see the section headed "Has there been a meltdown?" which is a bit more reasoned.

[mattx]

Anyone else seen this ?

Still cheaper than toilet paper.....

[plexer]

Read on a news site about it, they got back to the uss ronald raegen scrubbed themselves with soap and were then de-contaminated.

Ben

[mattx]

Good read.

Some Perspective On The Japan Earthquake: MicroISV on a Shoestring

[Gatt]

Do you think the Mushroom cloud was added after with PhotoShop?

[Theblacksheep]

Speaking of 'Depth of Defense' they built the first backup generators at Dungeness below sea level, the built the second when they realised it might be a problem.


The part of the BBC quote about rising a few hundred degrees is still a problem. Its just not explained in any way other than black (meltdown) and white (on you were lads). The pure (heavy) water is over 1000psi with a boiling point past 250c, if this is not under pressure or moving the boiling point it lower. Despite the reactor being off, its still cooling down. If rods are exposed water has boiled off and and pressure increased then hydrogen buildup is a massive, massive risk, hence venting to outer room which limits the explosion to outside of the reactor core. Sea water has a much lower boiling point and will soak up radioactive particles, its very crude to put sea water into the reactor cooling loop and I don't think this action can be underestimated.


http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS...2_1403113.html

This article says venting of pressure and injection of seawater is not seeing the water level increase and despite massive reduction of heat to only a few % of its operating temp, water is still required to get rid of this heat.

[somabc]

No the explosion did actually look like a mushroom cloud, if you watch the video. (It's not a mushroom cloud obviously)

[JJonas]

@Fatmas you talked that one up. Reactor 4 on fire.

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Im going back to bed.