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Reactor meltdown possible in Japan.


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Thanks, I do understand the particles and their physical properties. However, i was asking if all 3 we;re being released at the current moment?

Either Alpha or Beta were released, I read a report about some people being decontaminated by washing and discarding clothes. Thats consistent with those.

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I haven't heard anything on this particularly issue, but I'd be surprised if there weren't some gamma rays.

I beleive that most nuclear fuel genereates ALPHA prticles.That is the method of heating water. Once reaction gets going, All types of particles,or rays are generated. Pure plutonium is actually warm to the touch due to Alhpa decay.

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This is obviously a full on melt down based on that story from the Navy. That reactor #3 explosions looks catastrophic, the government there is lying to keep the people calm.

Even if it's just a partial meltdown -- even if it gets no worse than it is -- Japan is in a big nuclear mess. The NY Times is reporting that the sea-water cooling operation may have to continue "for a year or more," with periodic, necessary steam releases. "That suggests that the tens of thousands of people who have been evacuated may not be able to return to their homes for a considerable period, and that shifts in the wind could blow radioactive materials toward Japanese cities rather than out to sea."

http://www.nytimes.c...reactor.html?hp

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I beleive that most nuclear fuel genereates ALPHA prticles.That is the method of heating water. Once reaction gets going, All types of particles,or rays are generated. Pure plutonium is actually warm to the touch due to Alhpa decay.

ALPHA particles = helium 4 nuclei

BETA particles = high speed electrons or positrons

GAMMA particles/rays = photons of very high energy.

The penetrative power increases as you go up the scale.

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Thanks, I do understand the particles and their physical properties. However, i was asking if all 3 we;re being released at the current moment?

I think the alpha, beta and gamma terms are outdated-- I like the descriptive terms because they actually describe what they are. Alpha, Beta and Gamma are merely the first three letters of the Greek alphabet and about as descriptive as "X-Rays."

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I haven't heard anything on this particularly issue, but I'd be surprised if there weren't some gamma rays.

If the other two were, then gamma rays were also released as they have the highest penetrative power of the bunch.

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  • Alpha - these are fast moving helium atoms. They have high energy, typically in the MeV range, but due to their large mass, they are stopped by just a few inches of air, or a piece of paper.
  • Beta - these are fast moving electrons. They typically have energies in the range of a few hundred keV to several MeV. Since electrons are might lighter than helium atoms, they are able to penetrate further, through several feet of air, or several millimeters of plastic or less of very light metals.
  • Gamma - these are photons, just like light, except of much higher energy, typically from several keV to several MeV. X-Rays and gamma rays are really the same thing, the difference is how they were produced. Depending on their energy, they can be stopped by a thin piece of aluminum foil, or they can penetrate several inches of lead.

Your description is excellent, but in the bolded part, it needs to be emphasized that X-Rays have less penetrative power than Gamma Rays-- they are actually situated between UV and Gamma on the spectrum. There is some overlap with Gamma however. But in general X-Rays have a lower frequency and less penetrative power than Gamma Rays. Also, the source of X-Rays is typically electrons accelerated to a very high velocity. The confusion arises when we try to differentiate between particles and waves.

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0629: Urgent news: Cooling functions have stopped and water levels are falling in Reactor 2 at the Fukushima 1 nuclear plant - Jiji news agency, quoted by Reuters.

Well, about the only thing good I have to say is that's the last reactor there that was online at the time of the earthquake. This is unreal....

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0636: AFP news agency has just run the same story from Jiji - this is definitely Reactor 2 we are talking about.

0631: This is the first time today that we are hearing of problems in Reactor 2. This morning, there was a huge explosion at Reactor 3, and there was a blast at Reactor 1 on Saturday. But both of those reactors are said to be intact.

Wheres all the doomsdayers at now?

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TEPCO says it's considering releasing hydrogen from Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 reactor building.

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So apparently they want to try something other than the 'just let it explode' approach that they took with the other 2 reactors?

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TEPCO has completed releasing hydrogen from the Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 reactor building. Earlier we said they were considering releasing it, but they had already released it.

Also water level has fallen but still above fuel rods.

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The #2 was having problems earlier on Sunday.

Also seems they are having problems with an adequate supply of seawater, believe or not.

Could be why we keep hearing about the levels continually remaining low.

Don't think they've seawatered it yet. Kyodo is reporting that they are going to do that though.

BREAKING NEWS: Fuel rod of No. 2 reactor about to be above cooling water: Ednao

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here is what is happening in the reactors:

the fuel rods are generating heat. the water in the reactors boils and turns to steam. the stream goes and spins turbins to create energy.

now if the fuel rods get uncovered they genereate heat, so mch heat that they melt. Now to cool the melting rods they dump seawater in the core, The hot fuel rods turn the wtaer to steam, and becasue the temputure gets so hot that the steam changesinto its components Hydrogen and oxygen. This increases the pressure in the reactor. Hydrogen is lighter that air so it rises to the top of the core. the reactor has pressure relief valves and it releases the hyrdogen. Something causes the hydrogen to ignite.

I suspect the buildings are designed to force the explosion up and away from the reactor core.

I igve the designers credit...

I think actually zirconium oxidizes in steam above about 2000ºC and forms free hydrogen gas, The steam doesn't just break down on its own.

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