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Japanese, Indonesian and Russian Volcanoes Erupt-5 Japanese Reactors in Danger-1 is leaking...
Zero Hedge ^ | March 11, 2011

Posted on 03/12/2011 2:34:08 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

Update: It's possible that a meltdown may already have occurred at one nuclear power plant. As AP wrote 4 minutes ago:

An official with Japan's nuclear safety commission says that a meltdown at nuclear power plant affected by the country's massive earthquake is possible.

Ryohei Shiomi said Saturday that officials were checking whether a meltdown had taken place at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant, which had lost cooling ability in the aftermath of Friday's powerful earthquake.

Reuters reports:

Japanese nuclear authorities said that there was a high possibility that nuclear fuel rods at a reactor at Tokyo Electric Power's Daiichi plant may be melting or have melted, Jiji news agency reported.

Experts have said that if the fuel rods have been damaged, it means that it could develop into a breach of the nuclear reactor vessel and the question then becomes one of how strong the containment structure around the vessel is and whether it has been undermined by the earthquake.

Volcanoes have reportedly erupted in Japan, Indonesia, and Kamchatka Russia today, presumably due to the massive Japanese earthquake. There have been no reports of damage from the eruptions.

In addition, there are problems at three Japanese nuclear power plants.

The Fukushima plant is leaking radiation, and a nuclear expert says that things are getting worse, and "Fukushima has 24 hours to avoid a core meltdown scenario". (See Tyler Durden's report).

MSNBC reports:

"The situation is still several stages away from Three Mile Island when the reactor container ceased to function as it should," said Tomoko Murakami, leader of the nuclear energy group at Japan's Institute of Energy Economics.

Two other Japanese nuclear reactors are now in trouble as well. Two other Japanese nuclear reactors are now in trouble as well [UPDATE: It is now up to 5 nuclear reactors].

As MSNBC notes:

Coolant systems failed at three quake-stricken Japanese nuclear reactors Saturday, sending radiation seeping outside one and temperatures rising out of control at two others.

Radiation surged to around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima Daichi plant, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. Radiation — it was not clear how much — had also seeped outside, prompting widening of an evacuation area to a six-mile radius from a two-mile radius around the plant. Earlier, 3,000 people had been urged to leave their homes.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Saturday that the temperatures of its No.1 and No.2 reactors at its Fukushima Daini nuclear power station were rising, and it had lost control over pressure in the reactors.

***

About an hour after the plant shut down, however, the emergency diesel generators stopped, leaving the units with no power for important cooling functions.

***

Hours after the evacuation order, the government announced that the plant will release slightly radioactive vapor from the unit to lower the pressure in an effort to protect it from a possible meltdown.

Good luck to the Japanese scientists bravely trying to avert catastrophe. As MSNBC notes:

Japan has a "tremendous amount of technical capability and resources" to respond to the issue ....


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Local News; Society
KEYWORDS: disaster; earthquake; japan; japanearthquake; nuclear; nuclearpower; radiation; thoriumreactors; tsunami; volcanoes
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Comments are very interesting and informative...
1 posted on 03/12/2011 2:34:12 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

It is important that conservatives start talking about pebble bed reactors. Liberals are going to try and use this as an excuse to ban nuclear reactors, but pebble bed reactor can not melt down, due to physics. Once a pebble bed reactor reaches a certain temperature the reaction decreases.


2 posted on 03/12/2011 2:45:26 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: Sarah-bot
Isn't it incredibly ironic that the only people in the world to have cities destroyed by nuclear weapons are perfectly happy to use nuclear power, and we, the nation who invented the concept, are terrified to build nuclear power plants?
3 posted on 03/12/2011 3:12:27 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet ("You cannot invade the US There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." Yamamoto)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Yes, it is. But, I also think it is important to promote the new pebble bed technology, because it makes meltdowns obsolete. I like the Japanese and I hope they get through this okay.


4 posted on 03/12/2011 3:17:18 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I must say I have to question their siting. I can’t believe they were built so close to the coast.


5 posted on 03/12/2011 3:18:07 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

You know, it is interesting because I was looking at the site via the news, and the site seems to be on a bluff. I think the damage was could have been caused by the earthquake rather than the tsunami. Either way, the pebble bed system would have eliminated the problem. I think Japan probably uses pebble bed reactors, but I think this is probably an older reactor.


6 posted on 03/12/2011 3:26:33 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: FreedomPoster

You know, it is interesting because I was looking at the site via the news, and the site seems to be on a bluff. I think the damage was could have been caused by the earthquake rather than the tsunami. Either way, the pebble bed system would have eliminated the problem. I think Japan probably uses pebble bed reactors, but I think this is probably an older reactor.


7 posted on 03/12/2011 3:26:44 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: FreedomPoster
"I must say I have to question their siting. I can’t believe they were built so close to the coast."

Power plants need a lot of water. Many, if not most, reactors are built on coasts.

8 posted on 03/12/2011 3:27:19 AM PST by Truth29
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To: Truth29

Good point, but still it is on a bluff regardless.


9 posted on 03/12/2011 3:28:49 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: Sarah-bot

Thorium reactors would be safe. Information at:

http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/


10 posted on 03/12/2011 3:37:37 AM PST by preacher (A government which robs from Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.)
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To: Sarah-bot

Fox news said this is an older reactor. From what an expert said the earthquake caused the power outage and the tsunami took the generator down. It is now running on BATTERIES!


11 posted on 03/12/2011 3:38:47 AM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("Kick The Communists Out Of Your Govt. And Don't Accept Their Goodies"-Yuri Bezmenov-KGB Defector)
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To: Sarah-bot

Can’t be much of a bluff if the tsunami took the backup diesel generators out.


12 posted on 03/12/2011 3:42:50 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Nuclear cloud....ain’t no thing for the Japanese.

Terrifying for US.


13 posted on 03/12/2011 3:53:52 AM PST by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

thats a very interesting observation...

to post 3


14 posted on 03/12/2011 4:05:15 AM PST by ezo4
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To: FreedomPoster

I am just going by the photo is seen, but my point is that the pebble reactors are much safer than the rods. Pebbles can not meltdown, and that is the salient point.


15 posted on 03/12/2011 4:17:39 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: Sarah-bot

I did hear that this reactor is an older one. Would it not have the pebble bed reactors?


16 posted on 03/12/2011 4:21:45 AM PST by sheikdetailfeather ("Kick The Communists Out Of Your Govt. And Don't Accept Their Goodies"-Yuri Bezmenov-KGB Defector)
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To: sheikdetailfeather

I hope not, because then the theory is mute. The way it was explained to me is that pebble bet reactors are safe because once the core reaches a certain temp. the reaction process slows down. I heard this from a professor teaching astronomy, but he said he had nuclear credentials. I don’t claim nuclear credentials, so I took his word for it. He could have been full of it, but what would he have to gain? His proposal seemed to make sense. I was actually hoping to get some feedback from some nuclear physicists, from this site.


17 posted on 03/12/2011 4:30:12 AM PST by Sarah-bot
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

To...prevent the WORST consequences of CLIMATE Change, we’ll need to increase our supply of NUCLEAR power {Barry Obama Feb 16, 2010}


18 posted on 03/12/2011 4:50:51 AM PST by VRWCTexan (Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it !)
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To: FreedomPoster

well you know they do need water for cooling


19 posted on 03/12/2011 4:57:20 AM PST by aumrl (let's keep it real Conservatives)
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To: VRWCTexan; All

You mean Catastrophic Anthropogenic Climate Alteration?

Please use the correct term henceforth, for all the obvious reasons. Thank you.

(Yes, I know it was a quote. If you’re still scratching your head, take a closer look at the new accepted term.)


20 posted on 03/12/2011 4:59:29 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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