If the Japanese can’t build a safe reactor, who can?

The Washington Post ^ | March 14, 2011

[matt04]

In the aftermath of a disaster, the strengths of any society become immediately visible. The cohesiveness, resilience, technological brilliance and extraordinary competence of the Japanese are on full display. One report from Rikuzentakata — a town of 25,000, annihilated by the tsunami that followed Friday’s massive earthquake — describes volunteer firefighters working to clear rubble and search for survivors; troops and police efficiently directing traffic and supplies; survivors are not only “calm and pragmatic” but also coping “with politeness and sometimes amazingly good cheer.”

Thanks to these strengths, Japan will eventually recover. But at least one Japanese nuclear power complex will not. As I write, three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station appear to have lost their cooling capacity. Engineers are flooding the plant with seawater — effectively destroying it — and then letting off radioactive steam. There have been two explosions. The situation may worsen in the coming hours.

...

Increasingly, nuclear power is also promoted because it safe. Which it is — except, of course, when it is not.

...

I hope that this will never, ever happen. I feel nothing but admiration for the Japanese nuclear engineers who have been battling catastrophe for several days. If anyone can prevent a disaster, the Japanese can do it. But I also hope that a near-miss prompts people around the world to think twice about the true “price” of nuclear energy, and that it stops the nuclear renaissance dead in its tracks.

[reg45]

Here is some information on the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor. It seems to represent a better nuclear energy production alternative.

[SteamShovel]

The Russian Committee of Liquidators stated that 100 000 liquidators have died over the past two decades as a result of their work at and around Chernobyl

Besides, we need real death estimates from real sources, not lawyer propaganda.

If you listen to lawyers, 100,000 people die each day due to toenail infections caught at the local gym.

[khnyny]

“suggweing”?? Have you been drinking? Too funny.

[Moonman62]

A 40+ year old GE design back from when you still saw Edsels on the road. Much better safer designs since then

What about the pools for the used fuel rods? They ran out of water too.

[musicman]

Have YOU Donated To FR Yet?

[khnyny]

Even the founder of greenpeace says so.

Really? Even the found of greenpeace says so? And you are supposedly a conservative FR poster? Have another martini...please..be my guest...

[HereInTheHeartland]

“nuclear power has never been all that safe. Flame away aholes.”

Nice.
You evidently haven't gotten on board with this electricity thingy have you?

What type of Amish are you again?

[listenhillary]

That was a horrible typo. I pulled the trigger, saw it and said “darn”.

[listenhillary]

I’m drinking wimp Michalobe Ultra beer. A martini sounds very nice though. You’re buying right?

Co-Founder of Greenpeace Envisions a Nuclear Future
http://www.wired.com/science/planetearth/news/2007/11/moore_qa

Greenpeace founder: I was wrong about nuclear power
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2006/04/greenpeace_foun.html

Greenpeace Co-Founder Now Proponent Of Nuclear Energy
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/15/greenpeace-co-founder-now_n_96730.html

[fred2008]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/08/patrick_moore_greenpeace_dropout/

[khnyny]

I appreciate the research and the links. Thanks. Have a great weekend.

[Doe Eyes]

The failed reactors were designed by General Electric.

Well I guess that makes it all better.

[Leto]

Funny thing is they were 40 years old with inferior safety systems to the current reactors. Then they were hit with a disaster way beyond the design parameters. This set of circumstances combined to show just how safe new systems (which don’t rely on external power for shutdown in the event of a disaster).

The issue is that politicians and journalist typically are illiterates when it comes to science and technology.

[ransomnote]

Yes, especially since about 1/4 of the reactors in the US are of the same design:

“David Lochbaum, chief nuclear safety officer with the Union of Concerned Scientists, has repeatedly questioned the safety of the Fukushima I Plant’s General Electric Mark 1 reactor design, which is used in almost a quarter of the United States’ nuclear fleet.
In March 2011, nuclear experts told Congress that spent-fuel pools at US nuclear power plants are too full. They say the entire US spent-fuel policy should be overhauled in light of the Fukushima I nuclear accidents.[39]”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_the_United_States

[Texas Mulerider]

You are correct, sir. Thorium is the solution. It is almost criminal that the U.S. is not in the forefront of this technology.

[PiperShade]

Reality is a “Model A Ford” design did exactly what it was supposed to do and has yet to kill anyone; despite a catastrophic crash. Rasther than rant about the faults/design/safety of that Model A ask, “ why aren’t we replacing these dinosaurs with Gen 3 / Gen 4 systems ? “

We have the knowledge, we have the industrial capacity, and we have the materials and resources to produce small, efficient, safe gas-cooled reactors capable of siting near demand and using everything from recovered “spent fuel” to salvaged weapon materials as fissile materials safely. (BTW, current systems utilize less than 30% of the “fuel” before its put into storage - where some want to bury it forever out of reach.) >PS

[listenhillary]

The point of this thread is that safe nuclear reactors designs exist now.

The author of the article is an idiot as he starts with the false premise that Japan designed these reactors. They didn’t. The design is 50 years old and it took a 9.0 earthquake to take out poorly designed back up systems that cooled the used fuel rods. The plants shut down as the should have and would likely be running today if the diesel generators and the diesel fuel were placed on top of the buildings.

If you’re an anti nuke nut, call your electric company Monday morning and tell them you don’t need their services anymore as you’re going to generate all of your own electricity. Or if they have a green energy plan, you can pay $.02 or $.03 cents more per kilowatt to buy only green energy.

That way you can put your money where your mouth is.

[ransomnote]

Welcome to the thread, Doe Eyes.

I think you’ll notice that we are a diverse group here on this thread. For example, in response to the 8 words you posted, I feel no compulsion whatsoever to
1) instruct you as to the point of this thread
2) hint that you are a nut of any kind
3) instruct you to modify your household electricity plan
4) imply that you have said more than you actually said
so I can suggest that you put your money where your mouth is

Here we are, from various walks of life, perspectives, degrees of civility etc. Welcome.

[donmeaker]

The reactors were shut down. they normally work at 1.4 gigawatts (1,400 Mega watts) and when shut down, were still giving off 1.4 megawatts, because of the residual radioactivity of reaction byproducts in the fuel rods. That is what has been boiling the water. The radioactive Uranium reaction products themselves react and are consumed, with the power level dropping by about a factor of 2 every 7 days. The reaction workers are doing a good job of keeping the reactors under control as they wait for the reaction products to themselves react.

[fred2008]

Thanks.

The long presentation by Kirk Sorensen is worthwhile viewing. He explains a lot of things about what has happened and how he got interested in Thorium reactors.

The medical side of the equation is outstanding... Also, I think he is spot on regarding desalinization of salt water as future need.