Video: Japan - Nuclear plant explosion

[thermodynamics]

The media has all these "experts" commenting and they have no idea how these reactors are designed. The Japanese should have been filling the containment with sea water long before the pressure built up. Cool the thing down, then do damage assessment...Just my 2 cents!

The moment they discovered they had a LOCA (Loss Of Coolant Accident) they should have sent in the boron (absorbs neutrons), even though the boron won't help all that much, but it's something. That should have been done yesterday. They probably could have salvaged the unit. The moment they pump seawater in, those units will never make electricity again (sea water is corrosive to steel). The thing that we don't know is if there's any equipment failures because of the earthquakes. I'll allow them the benefit of the doubt on that.

 

[metta]

What other options are so much better? Fossil fuels? Biofuels, some of which tax our agricultural output? Fickle wind and solar?

Not saying we can't learn anything from this. If anything, this should teach us to use caution about putting reactors around the ring of fire. But to be too dismissive of nuclear because of this incident seems like a mistake.

I was not dismissing nuclear altogether. But I think it is important to ask us if the risks are worth it.

I would love to see us push algae biofuels technology with the kind of pressure as if we were at war.

 

[Telstra]

watching experts discussing about power supply,
only nuclear power is a viable option at the moment.

Hopefully new technology will replace them soon.
People who are against nuclear should put their solutions on the table.

 

[Beachguyj]

For some reason I had the impression that the Japanese were so advanced that they would have planned for something like this and meltdowns would be impossible.

It's not impossible because you need electricity to keep it cool. They have a backup generator and that only last so long. As long as it is well contained it's not as dangerous as it sounds. Also CNN early on said that the radiation level was 1000 times normal, but that the acceptable level is so low that it wasn't that much of a threat.

 

[gsdx]

Japan will learn from this. They thought they were safe, but I don't think they could even imagine the real power and unpredictability of an 8.9 earthquake even if they designed for it.

It would be interesting to know how many people have died due to coal power (including coal mining, etc.) as compared to nuclear power.

 

[Beachguyj]

People who are against nuclear should put their solutions on the table.

I'm not against it, but we should invest in solar, wind and wave power as well as Ethanol from corn and other crops.

 

[gsdx]

I'm not against it, but we should invest in solar, wind and wave power as well as Ethanol from corn and other crops.

The big problem with Ethanol from corn is that there is already a shortage in corn products which is causing huge increases in prices with less products available. I heard on television a few months ago that there is a law in the US that 40% of corn production must go to the creation of Ethanol. That's 40% less for food production.

Big problem. Fuel a car or feed people? Hmmm.

 

[Telstra]

I'm not against it, but we should invest in solar, wind and wave power as well as Ethanol from corn and other crops.

Ethanol and other crops are not an option. They are for food only.
Wind and solar have potential but can't produce enough energy at the moment.

 

[Beachguyj]

Ethanol and other crops are not an option. They are for food only.
Wind and solar have potential but can't produce enough energy at the moment.

The Brazilians make it from sugar cane. I don't know how much of the US can grow it, but we should not just stick out heads up our ass and ignore the energy crisis while the rich get richer selling us oil and electricity.

 

[thermodynamics]

Argh...Fukushima Daiichi #3 just had another hydrogen explosion, just like unit #1 on Saturday.

The media is all up in arms that this reactor uses fuel that begins with slightly more plutonium than is normal. Big f*&(in' deal, snore... Every reactor produces plutonium once it begins operation after refueling. It still can't explode in the "nuclear bomb" way.

I haven't seen any recent press releases from TEPCO (their website isn't working properly at the moment) or the IAEA regarding the unit #3 explosion. I don't trust the mainstream media at all on this.

 

[ChickenGuy]

Questions for thermodynamics:


Does the loss of #1 and #3 have any bearing on how long it will take the core to cool down?

Is there a 'domino effect' now in progress, with ever-increasing hydrogen/steam pressure at the other reactors?

What is the radioactive decay and half-life of the isotopes that may have been released?

 

[metta]

Second explosion at stricken Japan nuke plant

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110314/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_nuclear_crisis

 

[thermodynamics]

Questions for thermodynamics:


Does the loss of #1 and #3 have any bearing on how long it will take the core to cool down?

Is there a 'domino effect' now in progress, with ever-increasing hydrogen/steam pressure at the other reactors?

What is the radioactive decay and half-life of the isotopes that may have been released?

The outer containment structure (the concrete part) is what was destroyed. The inner containment structure (steel) remains completely intact. The reactor pressure vessel (RPV), where the core actually is, is also completely intact. The loss of the concrete containment structure really has no bearing on core cooling.

Each unit is completely self-contained. The explosion in unit 1 on Saturday did not cause or affect unit 3 in any way.

Half lives...this is a bit sketchy. The common equipment that detects radiation does not tell the users which isotopes are present. The plant operators have said that they detected cesium-137 (using more specialized equipment) inside the containment. Cesium-137 has a half life of 30 years. But that doesn't mean that it was among the isotopes released.

I'm beginning to seriously consider whether there is an inherent design flaw or a procedural/operational flaw in these GE Mark I reactors. Units 1-5 at Fukushima Daiichi are of this design, and unit 6 is a Mark II. We have lots of Mark I and II reactors in the U.S. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

 

[metta]

Nuclear Experts Explain Worst-Case Scenario at Fukushima Power Plant

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fukushima-core

 

[thermodynamics]

The article above is superb. If only we could get the media to read it...

 

[metta]

^
lol...that is the same link that I posted above.



Meltdown threat rises at Japanese nuclear plan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110314/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_earthquake_nuclear_crisis

 

[Ninja108]

Truly is a scary thing..one can only hope for the best

 

[Telstra]

mmm what i heard from the BBC is more serious ....

but thermodynamics posts seems to suggest it is not as serious. You are an expert and i hope you are right.

 

[Telstra]

from a non-science person point of view, according to this diagram, i don't think the steel is strong enough if the temperature is high enough to melt the steel true?

 

[thermodynamics]

from a non-science person point of view, according to this diagram, i don't think the steel is strong enough if the temperature is high enough to melt the steel true?

The picture above ^^^ is for a pressurized water reactor (PWR). The reactor in question is a boiling water reactor (BWR). There are subtle differences, though most pictures are gross oversimplifications.

I sincerely doubt that they'll let a full-fledged meltdown occur. Even though the reactor is compromised, too many things would have to go wrong.

Even if core managed to melt its way through the reactor vessel, it will eventually hit the bottom of the containment structure which is several feet of concrete. There wouldn't be an explosion like Chernobyl since there is a containment structure.