Risk of Nuclear Catastrophe Escalates in Japan – ‘Worse than Chernobyl’

Forbes ^ | 3/11/2011 | Willian Pentland

[Chunga85]

The Institute for Public Accuracy issued the following statement by nuclear expert, Kevin Kamp, about the risk of nuclear disaster in post-Earthquake Japan: “The electrical grid is down. The emergency diesel generators have been damaged. The multi-reactor Fukushima atomic power plant is now relying on battery power, which will only last around eight hours. The danger is, the very thermally hot reactor cores at the plant must be continuously cooled for 24 to 48 hours. Without any electricity, the pumps won’t be able to pump water through the hot reactor cores to cool them. Once electricity is lost, the irradiated nuclear fuel could begin to melt down. If the containment systems fail, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur.”

“In addition to the reactor cores, the storage pool for highly radioactive irradiated nuclear fuel is also at risk. The pool cooling water must be continuously circulated. Without circulation, the still thermally hot irradiated nuclear fuel in the storage pools will begin to boil off the cooling water. Within a day or two, the pool’s water could completely boil away. Without cooling water, the irradiated nuclear fuel could spontaneously combust in an exothermic reaction. Since the storage pools are not located within containment, a catastrophic radioactivity release to the environment could occur. Up to 100 percent of the volatile radioactive Cesium-137 content of the pools could go up in flames and smoke, to blow downwind over large distances. Given the large quantity of irradiated nuclear fuel in the pool, the radioactivity release could be worse than the Chernobyl nuclear reactor catastrophe of 25 years ago.”

[NVDave]

Not many US engineers get into engineering colleges on sports scholarships either. The kind of people who get into college/university on sports scholarships are found in programs where you can sleep through classes and get an A.

Even my engineering school roomie, who has a 180+ IQ, was not able to sleep through classes. He might have been able to do in 20 minutes homework that took me two hours, but he never slept through class, missed classes or blew off homework.

[kcvl]

Anti-nuclear expert Kevin Kamp

Kevin Kamps’ 1992 Walk Across America for Mother Earth “Winter Count Poster” and documenting the cross country march that introduced him to anti-nuclear activism

[silverleaf]

“The Institute of Public Accuracy”

bit of a misnomer there

who pays their light bills and salaries?

[Errant]

At Chernobyl, they were flying sand on top of the pile for week, and dropping the sand from a height put more radioactive components into the air.

The Russians were also dumping quantities of lead and boron.

Granted, the first order of business is to keep the fuel from melting into one large critical mass blob. Seawater will work for that but once/if the fuel rods melt, only high boiling point materials (sand, lead, boron) that will dilute and moderate molten uranium have any kind of chance of slowing down the reaction. That is if there is not a critical reaction that becomes explosive or the fuel and contaminated control assemble vaporizes.

[NVDave]

Yes, they were dumping in boron and lead. It didn’t work out as well as I think the Japanese situation will work. The #1 failure of the Chernobyl reactor was a cheap-assed design without a containment vessel. Follow that with using a graphic moderation.

Then again, the Soviets never were one for redundant systems. Build ‘em big, cheap and fast was their motto.

The Japanese are supposedly injecting boric acid solution in with the seawater as well.

[mcshot]

I’m sure it’s verifiable which is far more then can be said for the resident Kenyan.

[Errant]

The Japanese are supposedly injecting boric acid solution in with the seawater as well.

Yep, that's the cheap stuff. We use more expensive stuff than that in oil wells and radiology.

Let's don't piss off the Russians, they may make us climb a rope to get to the ISS.

[Melas]

Didn’t live up to the billing? Is the city of Prypiat habitable? No, I didn’t think so. Japan being geographically tiny, simply can’t afford an alienation zone of that size.

[windsorknot]

Tilting at windmills and solar panels.

[EBH]

Water with boron...folks...

it is water with boron.

Yishieie!!!!

All this Chernobyl talk is BS. The two plants designs alone were vastly different.

[pnh102]

Didn’t live up to the billing? Is the city of Prypiat habitable? No, I didn’t think so.

I didn't say there were not any lasting effects. But back when Chernobyl happened, the MSM was making it out to be, quite literally, the end of the world. Nuclear fallout was going to kill or mutate nearly every living thing in the Northern Hemisphere.

Even in the exclusion zone near Chernobyl itself, we were then told that all life would cease to exist for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Of course we know that mother nature did not agree with that assessment, and the area is now a thriving natural area, teeming with plant and animal life.

So no, Chernobyl did not live up to the billing. And as another poster pointed out, Japan is far better at operating nuclear reactors safely than the old USSR was. While I know that the potential exists for a nuclear disaster of literally Biblical magnitude, I am not certain that that will be the case.

[Errant]

All this Chernobyl talk is BS. The two plants designs alone were vastly different.

"TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) said Saturday afternoon the explosion at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant could only have been caused by a meltdown of the reactor core.

They're more alike than they are different. Both use uranium, produce heat by "tickling the dragon" to generate steam that turns a turbine and BOTH have experienced an explosion when control of the process was lost. Something that was never suppose to be able to happen.

I look and hope for the Japanese to succeed in shutting this one down with only a minor radioactive release, unlike Chernobyl. If they can't however, the result can be as bad or even worse than Chernobyl.

[LucyT]

. . . . See Two Radioactive Fallout Maps at # 73.

.

[Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!]

Wow thanks for posting I heard some expert on TV say it would hit the west coast U.S.

[Errant]

The first map may or may not be correct, even it they lose control and have full blown meltdown.

In the one major event the world has had experience with (Chernobyl), which was horrible, the radioactive fallout wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as they're showing in this map. Thats not to say it couldn't be worse.

The second map is projected in event of a nuclear war and has nothing to do with any of this.

In any event, the last thing you'd want to do is panic.

[Boardwalk]

I’m guessing the second map has nothing to with the first map.

[LucyT]

I’d guess you’re right. It was the only other map I could locate. Just thought it should be posted, too.

[redgolum]

It is actually a good place to fish and hunt.

[little jeremiah]

Just saw this linked at Ticker Forum, they have a very interesting thread going with much info.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/japan-quake-nuclear-cooling-idUSLHE7EB02D20110312

Japan Fukushima nuclear plant faces new reactor problem

TOKYO, March 13 | Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:15pm EST

TOKYO, March 13 (Reuters) - A quake-hit Japanese nuclear plant reeling from an explosion at one of its reactors has also lost its emergency cooling system at another reactor, Japan’s nuclear power safety agency said on Sunday.

Here’s the TF thread link:

http://tickerforum.org/akcs-www?post=182060&page=69