Tepco: Temperatures Rising At Fukushima Daini No.1, No.2 Reactors [Have "lost control" of pressure]

WSJ; Dow Jones Newswires ^ | March 11, 2011 | Mari Iwata, Dow Jones Newswires

[americanophile]

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501.TO) said Saturday that the temperatures of its No.1 and No.2 reactors at its Fukushima Daini nuclear power station are rising, and it has lost control over pressure in the reactors.

Fukushima Daini station is the second nuclear power plant the company has in Fukushima prefecture in northeastern Japan, where the troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant is located.

[maine-iac7]

The quake also caused diesel-powered generators used to cool the reactors to stop operating, leaving the utility company with a shortage of coolant to bring the reactors to a safe temperature.

doesn't sound good

[EBH]

Difference is they have containment. Chernobyl didn’t.

Guess we’re gonna see if it is good enough...

[GonzoGOP]

The term "lost control" is unnerving. What's really going on here?

There is a difference between Shep Smith saying they lost control and the people at the plant. This appears to be official, and that does peak my interest. There is an old saying that nuclear power is dull, and you had better hope it stays that way.

[Izzy Dunne]

NHK World TV reports that air will be released from the Fukishima (sp) reactor.

No backup pumps are working. The air is possibly contaminated.

[conservativepoet]

Japanese broadcast just indicated that there is a small radiation leak occurring at one of the plants, but “it is not enough to harm humans”.

[Marty62]

Yes, This cannot be good for Hawaii and West Coast.

I take the Japanese at their word, if they say not good then it must be so.

The continued 6.+ quakes cannot be helping the situation.

Have you ever read Edgar Casey and his predictions concerning the Ring of Fire?
Interesting.

[xjcsa]

I agree with you about not being excited about nuclear power. As someone who was within 30 miles of Three Mile Island during the accident, I always believe it’s just a matter of time before a major accident. I think we need to keep looking.

Three Mile Island was the worst nuclear power-related accident in American history, right? How many people were killed?

[Smogger]

...the containment vessel should contain the steam.

Not a good sign if they are already having to vent.

[TruthBeforeAll]

Who is downwind of Japan?

The Northwestern US and Southwestern Canada...
Balloon Bombs of WW2

[mikey_hates_everything]

So if they have a core meltdown, would it be called an “America Syndrome”?

[Smogger]

BWR schematic.
1. Reactor pressure vessel (RPV)
2. Nuclear fuel element
3. Control rods
4. Circulation pumps
5. Engine control rods
6. Steam
7. Feedwater
8. High pressure turbine (HPT)
9. Low pressure turbine
10. Generator
11. Exciter
12. Condenser
13. Coolant
14. Pre-heater
15. Feedwater pump
16. Cold water pump
17. Concrete enclosure
18. Mains connection

[SeattleBruce]

“It is difficult to imagine the intensity of this earthquake.

I have read reports stating that major portions of Japan have subsided and are now permanently underwater.”

Wow, it’s not like they had a lot of land for their 127 million people to begin with. They’ve done a lot of work with land reclamation - they’ll have to continue that aplenty now.

More critical are these reactor cores - can they get them under control?

[KevinDavis]

In all fairness only a tiny portion of the US in a earthquake zone. Nuclear power is part of the solution not the only one.

[RoseofTexas]

Where have I heard those words before....Russia?! Venting into the air is NOT good. ALL that area will be unlivable in the future! If I'm correct by the pictures of the reactor it sits near the ocean and THAT is not good. The greenies will have an 8.9 convulsion!! BTW, do y'all think the dead Anchovy(spell ?) fish that were discovered on the California shore yesterday or the day before have any connection to the quake?? Hmmmmmmm

[fanfan]

Thanks for that post.
Prayers for all.

[EBH]

[UPDATE: 5:59 PM ET: The evacuation zone around the power plant has been increased to 10 km, or 6.2 mi.]

[UPDATE: 5:46 PM EST: Japanese authorities announced that radiation inside the stricken Fukushima power plant control room has risen to 1,000 times its normal level. Some has leaked outside of the plant, prompting calls for further evacuations beyond the 3,000 people who have been cleared out already in a 1.8-mi. radius. Additionally, the planned release of radioactive steam to bleed off pressure has been delayed due to a failure in the electrical systems required to execute the venting.]

Read more: http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2011/03/11/radioactive-steam-released-from-stricken-japanese-nuke-plant/#ixzz1GKxN3hnL

[Behemothpanzer]

Probably negligible. An 8.8 earthquake releases a rough equivalent energy as 20 billion tons of TNT (400 times the size of the Tsar Bomba)

Even a complete catastrophic failure of a nuclear plant wouldn’t result in the kind of explosion seen in a nuclear bomb, so you probably wouldn’t see anything much.

linky: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/02/27/magnitude-8-8-earthquake-off-chile-coast/

[Rome2000]

Isn’t this how Godzilla was created?

[reed13k]

Good news our extended family & friends are ok. This doesn’t make a lot of sense though sense the nucs should fail safe w contol rods so appears they have significant damage to the structure. It’s a cryin shame, but nAture tends to bite back to remind us of our limitations. Prays to all in harms way.

[SeattleBruce]

“Even if the plant “melt’s down” and hits ground water, the worst-case scenario, the containment vessel should contain the steam. American nuke plants are designed to survive direct hits from 747s. I’m sure Japanese plants are similarly designed. Remember that Chernobyl was commie-built.”

Good to be reminded of context here. Yes, let’s pray they contain the damage and can get on with saving victims of the quake.