Posted on 03/12/2011 2:57:10 PM PST by janetjanet998
Looks like they have problems with #1, #2 and #3.
I wonder what kind of golf game Obama had today. Hope he had lots of fun. He needed some rest.
I understand that the salt should would corrosion over the long term which is why they use fresh water, but does anyone know why sea water wouldn’t work to cool the reactor.. Why are these expers calling it a “hail marry”?
WASHINGTON – US nuclear experts warned Saturday that pumping sea water to cool a quake-hit Japanese nuclear reactor was an “act of desperation” that may foreshadow a Chernobyl-like disaster.
Several experts, in a conference call with reporters, also predicted that regardless of the outcome at the Fukushima No. 1 atomic plant crisis, the accident will seriously damage the nuclear power renaissance.
“The situation has become desperate enough that they apparently don’t have the capability to deliver fresh water or plain water to cool the reactor and stabilize it, and now, in an act of desperation, are having to resort to diverting and using sea water,” said Robert Alvarez, who works on nuclear disarmament at the Institute for Policy Studies.
would describe this measure as a ‘Hail Mary’ pass,”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20110313-325126/US-experts-fear-Chernobyl-like-crisis-for-Japan
That is a lot of reading...if you have read all that through can you summarize?
Hope they can control that sucker, you don't want plutonium, in any amount, floating around free.
They’ve had quite a few major aftershocks. They might have done more damage.
Pray it works! If it doesn't we all lose.
Just heard on the English translation of a Japanese station that reactor 1 is totally under salt water. That’s one good thing admist this catastrophy.
Just heard on the English translation of a Japanese station that reactor 1 is totally under salt water. That’s one good thing admist this catastrophy.
Excellent diagram of inside one of the reactors there.
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/uploadedImages/wnn/Images/bwr%20cutaway.jpg
That's for sure! I think I read somewhere that 1 lb of plutonium would kill everyone on earth, dispersed well enough.
“nuclear emergency” reporting is based on international and industry standards, incidents rated on scale from 1-7, low to high
certain malfunctions trigger an “emergency” alert, such as failure of coolant systems, even as the system and repairs or alternates are being addressed, so some (most) of these announcements and evacuations that may result are more caution than fear
Japanese govt indicates so far the worst reactor incident is rated “4”, that is the one that outer building blew but containment vessel not breached and fuel rods now under water and containment vessel pressure now stabilized (as per govt of Japan briefing tonight)
You can get a handle on what the Japanese govt is telling its own people by watching NHK TV online
http://wwitv.com/tv_channels/6810.htm
"In regard to the statement that 1 pound of Pu would kill everyone on Earth... One pound of plutonium would be enough to give 1.6E+9 persons a CDE of 50 rem (0.5 Sv) {which could result in 1.5E+5 additional cancers} *IF* and ONLY IF the material was pulverized into particles of respirable size and the material could be adequately dispersed in the atmosphere. A few decades ago the United States and other countries engaged in atmospheric nuclear bomb testing. These tests released many pounds of radioactive isotopes, including plutonium, to the atmosphere. Although there is some evidence of increased incidence of cancer among "downwinders", there have not been 1.5E+5 cancers in excess of the number expected. So it would be practically impossible to kill everyone on earth with one pound of plutonium".
That is an excellent map, thank you for posting. Those aftershocks are incredible.
That is in the same league as the following: there are enough viable sperm in a single ejaculation to impregnate every fertile female in the continental United States.
The problem with this, as with the plutonium example, is one of distribution.
Way back 40 years ago, the company I worked for, used plutonium sources to furnish neutrons for downhole oil exploration equipment. Was happy as hell when we went to electronic sources (particle accelerators).
Very bad stuff, always worried about the possibility of source container leakage.
One just runs into useful things sometimes...
And of course, most can be found here!
Yep, and even several tons of the stuff spewing into the atmosphere from a burning pile of molten metal, carried by the winds, isn't likely to kill everyone on earth.
That is careful speaking from the Japanese officials. The reactor fluid and steam was leaking into the containment building. That is not normal. There was a leak in the system somewhere. Hydrogen from the partially melted reactor core leaked into the building. So containment breach of reactor fluid and gas has occurred. Otherwise that building would still be intact. I guess it is technically correct to state the vessel itself has not cracked, as far as they know.
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