Breaking:Explosion at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant heard around 0630 GMT

reuters ^ | 3-12-11

[rawhide]

Just in:

Explosion at Tepco's Fukushima Daiichi plant heard around 0630 GMT

NHK footage shows steam-like smoke coming from Tepco's Fukushima plant

[justa-hairyape]

Thanks for the info. Looks like a report just before the explosion occurred.

[greedo]

I thought it would be good to give the left coast FReepers a heads-up.

I will reserve the right to retract my retraction in #112.

[greedo]

#512

[justa-hairyape]

Sure. Using the BBC Feed below. The video is not working for me, but the text tweets automatically update. Not a twitter myself, but they do show a better twitter location to use.

Japan begins quake relief mission

Just tested and they put up a new title. Huge blast at Japan nuclear power plant.

[advertising guy]

it’s specifically what the PM did not say that is the loudest

He allowed not one citizen has been radiated if you will and added yet.........

He asked his cabinet to get involved too

so..........

by sayin no one is contaminated yet implies there is radiation leakin and he is happy not to have to say it is killin anyone and he seemed more to askin his cabinet to get to work on the problem NOW

sorry for typos.....it’s 446 am here in Arizona and fam is asleep limitin needed lights

[Cvengr]

Look at the youtube video posted above, at the 47 sec mark.

Definitely an explosion or catastrophic failure of a pressurized system. The film captures the first pressure wave leaping out of the building some 100ft or so above the building. This was not a controlled seepage to reduce pressure or slowly vent a system.

[newzjunkey]

That "fallout map" is posted at the DU and even they've debunked it as nonsensical.

The company listed does have a website but the map isn't to be found.

[justa-hairyape]

Did not look at that link with the fallout map. Saw the later post that it may be fake and decided not to spend time on the link. At any rate, my thyroid is feeling slightly numb.

[Cvengr]

Worth repeating, Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvC4WQrQwTs

look at 0:47 sec for the explosion.

[advertising guy]

ditto that........ a factory supply of BEANO could not have helped minimize that explosion

[deks]

Well, the map in your link says Australian Radiation Services and according to their website, “Australian Radiation Services Pty. Ltd. (ARS) was formed in August 1996 to provide expert advice to organisations whose staff handle ionising radiation sources.”

Doesn’t sound like they’d be mapping global “fallout”.

http://www.australian-radiation-services.com.au/index.php?page=4

[mvpel]

Japans reacters are "light water" reacters and are supposed to not be capable of a chernobyl type of meltdown. I know, famous last words.

Water can't flow uphill, either. Nuclear reactors are governed by the same laws of physics as everything else.

[spokeshave]

Worth repeating, Thanks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvC4WQrQwTs look at 0:47 sec for the explosion.

Wow...that shock wave....must haveen a substantial explosion at that point of time.

[listenhillary]

Comment on one of the videos. Who knows? They might know what they are talking about. "OK, don't panic. Fujishima #1 is a BWR type reactor. Negative void coeffecient means it can't "melt down" a la Chernobyl -- no graphite moderator, no positive void coeffecient to lead to an excursion and fire. I'd guess this explosion was caused by a buildup of hydrogen gas in the containment building roof structure. Hydrogen is the byproduct of steam and the zirconium classing used on the fuel elements. Spectacular, but I'd be willing to bet the reactor vessel itself is undamaged."

[listenhillary]

This is the video from Drudge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMEV-_X5b_8&feature=youtu.be

[meyer]

Thanks for posting the video link. Looks like steam, but definately an explosion. Interesting that someone would type that it’s a “nuclear plant because the smoke is gray”. That may be the dumbest thing anybody’s written on Youtube of late.

Anyway, I think it’s a steam explosion of some sort, but as to the root cause or where it happened in the system, can’t tell from that video.

[greedo]

In that case I will stay with the original retraction, and drink some coffee and hopefully I won’t get the zot.

[deks]

Thanks. I hope we get more info at the next press conference.

[Cvengr]

Good point.

Obviously the systems weren’t designed for such occurrences.

Prayers that the critical systems remained intact.

[Jonah Hex]

Speculation on my part, based on video and pictures: Appears to be a high-energy hydrogen explosion event, caused by build-up of H2 within the containment structure.

Speculate a loss-of-cooling accident (LOCA) caused disassociation of cooling H2O into H2 and O2. Operators attempted limited venting of H2 to local environment, but air/H2 mixture accidentally ignited. Hydrogen explosion is a very powerful event which could breach both the primary and secondary containments.

While this does not mean the core has melted, it does mean we could be looking at a hefty release of contamination.

Again, speculation on my part.