Japanese Engineer: "There Was a Nuclear Explosion in Reactor 3 in Addition to a Hydrogen Explosion"

ex-skf.blogspot.com ^ | 3/13/2011 | Ex-SKF

[Razzz42]

No NUCLEAR explosion...

Okay, if you say so but let’s see what they say sent that cloud and debris so far into the sky. Steam?

[Razzz42]

And I have no idea why they don’t reprocess spent fuel. Probably to expensive with minimal results. Plutonium on the other hand reacts much hotter so maybe it gets a better return on investment versus storing it.

I’m still waiting for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution report from samplings taken from the ocean and how the Fukushima disaster affect ocean life.

[aruanan]

The fuel is not enriched enough for a nuclear explosion.

[rottndog]

I do say so....

[rottndog]

Spent fuel rods still contain more than 95% of the uranium they were manufactured with.

I do believe I know why civilian nuclear spent fuel is not reprocessed...If we reclaimed the uranium in all that ‘spent’ fuel, some BIG corporations who spend lots of money on politics in Washington would lose a HUGE revenue stream from mining uranium and manufacturing new fuel rods. Reprocessing reduces the cost of new uranium by increasing the supply, and eliminates much of the waste, as well as the cost of storing it.

Also, those who are opposed to nuclear power continue to use the ‘what do you do with the waste’ argument to prevent new nuclear power and close down existing plants. Spent fuel rods are the most radioactive and most plentiful of all nuclear waste in existence. Reprocess it, and that problem goes away.

[Razzz42]

Basically, the way I understand it is, nuclear power results from a controlled nuclear explosion.

If a nuclear reaction is occurring inside of a reactor, what happens if it goes uncontrolled? Of course knowing there is not a concentration of nuclear material or an imploding capability even if there was. Or is a RPV a crude bomb within itself?

Chopper pilots reported seeing blue beams from the cores during flyovers besides byproducts being picked up by sensors and from samples that support criticality, it is a given in a meltdown.

[raygun]

If blue flash are indeed occuring at Jukufima we’re hosed.

[brityank]

Sorry, but no sale.

The explosions were chemical resulting from various oxidations of elements and compounds. To have a nuclear explosion you need either fission or fusion, both of which are many magnitudes greater.

[justa-hairyape]

If it was a nuclear explosion, one would think some actual casualties would have been reported. Hydrogen and maybe a steam explosion seems the best guess.

[aruanan]

Basically, the way I understand it is, nuclear power results from a controlled nuclear explosion.

A bomb set off in a pile of uranium is not a nuclear bomb. It may be dirty and highly radioactive, but it's not a nuclear explosion. Nuclear power is from controlled fission. A nuclear explosion results from a huge amount of fissioning in a very short period of time. Power rods in a nuclear power plant, whether melted or not, at about 3% enrichment do not have a sufficiently high concentration of fissionable material for this to occur. They would have to have about 30X higher concentration than they do and it wouldn't happen spontaneously: it would take a highly engineered device with critical timing to result in a nuclear explosion.

[Razzz42]

Okay, I partially get it. Even with (re-) criticality you get heat but not an explosion per se, referred to as nuclear excursions.

In a spent fuel pond exists tons and tons of volatile elements that without a moderator present i.e. exposure to air, heat, shock-waves, vacuums, etc. I’m not sure all the possible scenarios have been explored yet.

Thanks for help in understanding guys.

[aruanan]

In a spent fuel pond exists tons and tons of volatile elements that without a moderator present i.e. exposure to air, heat, shock-waves, vacuums, etc. I’m not sure all the possible scenarios have been explored yet.

Water is one of the main moderators. Spent fuel rods have had about 1/3 of the usable uranium expended. Without reprocessing, it's just being wasted. Regardless of the conditions, it cannot explode like a nuclear bomb. There is almost nothing in the field of science more thoroughly studied than radiation. Look for Before It's Too Late, A Scientist's Case FOR Nuclear Energy by Bernard Cohen. Also look for things by Petr Beckmann, such as THIS.

[Razzz42]

Thanks for those links.

The powerful ejection upwards with relatively little damage is quite amazing to me in the Unit 3 event.