Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors

Morgsatlarge ^ | 3/13/2011 | Dr. Josef Oehmen (M.I.T.)

[rlmorel]

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “BS”. That seems a bit harsh to a rather reasoned explanation by someone trying to help people to chill out, which is badly needed.

Let’s be charitable and call it inaccurate while we wait to see. As you implied, there is a lot of good info here.

If the author made an honest error which might invalidate the core of his analysis, then that will be apparent.

[rlmorel]

It has been a while for me, but I do recall Cs-137 is very dangerous when inhaled or ingested. That was the case in South America when some people found a discarded medical source in a dump and broke it open to see what was inside.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Yes, it’s a really dangerous gamma and beta source, but much less radioactive than iodine 131.

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

OK, but nothing mentioned to reduce the threat of Mothra.

[Cvengr]

ping good post

[Qbert]

“First, the GE BWR-1 reactor in question has NO 3rd containment. If the “pressure cooker” is breached, the fuel is exposed to the environment.”

From where are you getting this information?

[rlmorel]

I think he is correct on this, containment appears to be a identified weakness in this circa 1971 design.

[stevecmd]

Time,distance & shielding.....

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[Qbert]

“I think he is correct on this, containment appears to be a identified weakness in this circa 1971 design.”

—I’m just correcting the claim that the Fukushima reactors are BWR-1 types. They’re actually all BWR-3 and higher:

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/CNPP2010_CD/pages/AnnexII/tables/table2.htm

As for containment flaws with this design- could well be, I don’t know. I’ll defer to the experts here.

[rlmorel]

Right. I think the design is pretty similar in many ways across the line, though, and in some articles the design is criticized for its containment design, done to save money.

Here is a generic cutaway of this design:

That said, though, the author describes the first containment as the zircaloy tubes. Check, they have those which we cannot see in this diagram because they are contained inside the bronze colored vessel.

The second containment is the "pressure cooker (bronze colored vessel) in which all the tubes are contained...check, they have that.

The third is the containment vessel, and it appears to have that as well with the big toroidal looking structure at the bottom.

So my impression is this author is describing this type okay...

[IrishCatholic]

...plus it helps ratings and sells papers.

Bookmarked for later.

[windsorknot]

It’s too early to give up on nuclear power to provide for our energy needs, primarily for providing electricity. Japan is especially limited in its options. We need to handle the current situation rationally. Let’s at least take a wait-and-see approach.

[Moltke]

Thanks. Bookmarked for later reading and reference.

[Qbert]

Thanks rlmorel.

Here’s some more diagrams I found, if you’re interested. (GE Mark I-III at figures 20-22):

https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20457%20CSE%20462%20Safety%20Analysis%20of%20Nuclear%20Reactor%20Systems/Containment%20Structures.pdf

[RandallFlagg]

nuclear bookmark

[rlmorel]

Excellent. Thanks...very informative. I worked in Nuclear Medicine for 15 years, but my understanding of nuclear power plant construction was not part of that curriculum

[dervish]

Thank you for posting. Very informative.

[dervish]

this may answer some of your concerns

[jetson]

Why hasn’t BOzo gone on tv to explain these things to the American people who are concerned about friends and military in the area as well as fallout in the US?