Posted on 03/14/2011 1:45:20 PM PDT by americanophile
Japan has asked the US for help to stop a quake-damaged nuclear reactor plunging into uncontrollable meltdown. The plea comes after a second hydrogen explosion occurred at a nuclear plant where officials warned that three nuclear rods in a cooling-starved reactor appeared to be melting.
Plumes of grey smoke billowed into the air after the blast at the Fukushima Daiichi plant's number 3 unit, injuring 11 people.
Japan's chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano confirmed the fear of rods melting inside all three of the site's most troubled reactors.
"Although we cannot directly check it, it's highly likely happening," he said.
Officials insist the inner reactor's container remains intact - but concern was raised when number 2 unit's fuel rods were left fully exposed by a falling cooling water level.
Workers managed to raise water levels after a second drop on Monday night, but they began falling for a third time, according to nuclear agency official Naoki Kumagai.
Specialists are now considering spraying water directly on the hermetically-sealed container in an attempt to cool it.
The former deputy director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told Sky News that the status of the faulty reactor may deteriorate even more.
"I think the situation is still very, very grim - we are by far not over the worst," Olli Heinonen said.
Harvard-based Mr Heinonen said it is now important for US expertise to be employed to minimise the risk of a catastrophic failure.
"They are the best people to know their (reactors') behaviour, particularly when you go into this phase and assess the consequences."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
I would like to think that Haliburton has boats on way. Looks like the Indonesia and Malaysia area has the most assets.
http://www.ogj.com/index/article-display/7292657252/articles/oil-gas-journal/volume-108/Issue-10/Technology/Study-assesses-Asia-Pacific-offshore-decommissioning-costs.html
Ok... ;>)
FRiend, there are not that many Nuclear Engineers in the free world. If you think the Japanese engineers weren't talking to Americans, Canadians, French, British etc on the first day.....well....believe sky news.
The South China Sea would be the closest for support boats.
...I meant GE engineers, or U.S. nuke experts; someone with institutional memory of the systems - not necessarily the guys that knocked it together.
No.
The cores have likely, at least partially melted down. There hasn’t been a fuel meltdown. The fuel is ceramic. If they can keep extracting heat from the stainless containment, it won’t get scattered about due to a containment failure caused by excess pressure. That’s key. They have to cool it, vent it, whatever. The reactors are a loss, so the goal is to minimize the release of contaminants while venting steam pressure while cooling the core. This is what they are doing.
Call Zero and tell him it’s not Japan it’s Kenya that has the nuclear problem.
Well said.
Send that MIT guy who’s “analysis” everyone’s been posting around here - he’ll know what to do - he’s what you call an “expert”...
It may be too late now. I read one of the reactors (#2 I believe) has a stuck valve and water can no longer be injected. Also, one of the containment vessels may have a defect. We’re getting to the point where the military equipment may have to be brought in. Not sure if water at any volume would work now. Wouldn’t hurt to start em that way (but south of the wind direction) just in case they’re needed.
You’re correct.
I checked.
He did live in Tibet until the Chinese invaded and gave him the boot.
The Dalai Lama is currently exiled from Tibet and lives in McLeodganj (also known as Upper Dharamsala, a village in the mountains north of New Delhi), in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. McLeodganj is about 530 kms from Delhi and approx. 100 kms from Pathankot.
Still, a bit of a walk from Japan. ;>)
“Yes, he’s the president of the United States, and Japan has asked for help.”
But according to so many in here, everything is fine, so how can we help when there is no need for help.
LOL. Yah, but I bet he could do it :o)
...it was reported a few days ago that the water pumps were driven by steam from heat from the reactors themselves. Don’t know if that’s true, or if AC power of some kind has been restored.
What makes you such an expert? You are speaking speculatively, no better than ABC news. You seem to WANT a nuclear catastrophe rather than the containment and cooling that is desired. Try becoming more informed rather than spreading misinformation as the drive-bys do. Try waiting for facts and actual news instead of trying to create it.
Please, if you can, put a BIG red X on that picture of Obama. Please? I want to see that!
Ooh...3000 nanogreys per hour!
So, basically, about the same rate of radiation exposure as you get from cosmic rays while you're on an airline flight....or a few orders of magnitude less than that, perhaps.
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