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Reactor meltdown possible in Japan.


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Well the system is obviously still creating heat. I didn't know if there was a mechanism within a plant design to do something with it while the plant was shut down. But otherwise yeah that is facepalm worthy. In my defense I did say my understanding of the plant design is quite rudimentary.

The reactor shuts down, but the cooling systems keep working. The tsunami destroyed the diesel generators and the electrical systems which is why they are having problems.

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Well the system is obviously still creating heat. I didn't know if there was a mechanism within a plant design to do something with it while the plant was shut down. But otherwise yeah that is facepalm worthy. In my defense I did say my understanding of the plant design is quite rudimentary.

Yes, that is quite OBVIOUS since they were using sea water to cool things down.

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Hard not to think back to some of the Chernobyl footage.

Gov't eyes using SDF choppers to cool spent fuel pool at nuke plant

TOKYO, March 15, Kyodo

The government is considering using Self-Defense Forces helicopters to pour water on the spent fuel pool of one of the troubled reactors at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture to help cool it, Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said Tuesday.

But the measure has been put on hold because the government has had trouble assessing the potential impact it would pose to the fuel rods underwater and SDF personnel involved in such an operation, Kitazawa told reporters.

The request for the measure came from a task force set up Tuesday by the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, according to the Defense Ministry.

The power supplier is battling to bring reactors at the plant under control, including the No. 4 reactor, where a spent fuel pool was boiling and its water levels were feared to be receding on Tuesday. The plant was crippled by Friday's devastating earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

The ministry began preparing to dispatch a Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter unit in Chiba Prefecture, seeing that it would be possible for the helicopters to apply the same technique used for putting out a forest fire -- namely, dropping water from the air.

But for now, the spent fuel pool is being cooled by police and firefighters on ground, after the government judged that an aerial approach ran the risk of damaging the spent nuclear fuel underwater and exposing SDF personnel to radiation, according to Kitazawa.

''We will perform our duty when we reach the stage where (the temperature rise in spent fuel) begins to settle down and we decide to drop large amounts of water from the sky,'' he said.

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I honestly have no clue on how this or any other reactor operates, but my understanding is that the various ways they get electricity to pumps was destroyed/rendered inoperable by the tsunami.

Would it have been possible to bring in other generating sources (say, a ship?)and use that to operate the pumps? I'm sure it was logistically impossible and probably too late now anyway...

Corium lava anyone?

No, because the control systems are shot. You can generate the electricity, but they would need to install all new controls.

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By the way, the source I've been getting my info from the NHK World. I had a hard time finding the man's name who was speaking due to spelling but I finally found it. It's Matsuura Takada. He was one of the scientists involved with chernobyl after the disaster. He is also the man who developed a Nuclear Power Plant Coffin.

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Lots of speculation in here, not a lot of fact. Please try to stick to what is known, rather than what is not.

Who's the judge? None of us are there and as the news stories are proving a LOT of what is being held as fact in the media is actually just speculation or misinformation.

Fox News just bit on the same thing we had here last night, they picked up on the IAEA story that the reactors were in a safe shutdown mode. They confused the plants. Second time this morning a major news agency has dropped the ball. Sloppy reporting.

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The U.S. Navy said Tuesday that very low levels of airborne radiation were detected at Yokosuka and Atsugi bases, about 200 miles to the north of the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

"While there was no danger to the public, Commander, Naval Forces Japan recommended limited precautionary measures for personnel and their families on Fleet Activities Yokosuka and Naval Air Facility Atsugi, including limiting outdoor activities and securing external ventilation systems as much as practical," a statement said.

http://www.foxnews.c...-nuclear-plant/

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Per Fox News website: IAEA Says 19-Mile No-Fly Zone in Place Around Japan's Fukushima Nuclear Plant

that news is hours old

by the time the IAEA gets around to releasing "new" info..it's already changed ..but the news media reports what the IAEA just reported as breaking news

thats way this is so confusing

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Who's the judge? None of us are there and as the news stories are proving a LOT of what is being held as fact in the media is actually just speculation or misinformation.

Fox News just bit on the same thing we had here last night, they picked up on the IAEA story that the reactors were in a safe shutdown mode. They confused the plants. Second time this morning a major news agency has dropped the ball. Sloppy reporting.

Unfortunately, most major news outlets are more concerned with being the first to report the story, than doing proper quality control.

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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday announced that seven of the nation's oldest nuclear reactors will close for three months as part of a review of plant safety, news reports said. The move comes a day after Merkel announced that Germany would suspend for three months its plan to extend the life of 17 reactors for the three-month review. The decision comes as a nuclear crisis in Japan deepened

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so what happened to the spent fuel rods in 1 2 and 3? are they stored in 4 5 or 6?

Looks like the used fuel rods are stored in 4, 5, and 6 utilizing the reactor cores for rod storage. 1, 2, 3 are currently active reactors and most likely there is no rod storage in these locations. Temps are rising in 5 and 6 according to this graphic. :(

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That would make some sense//// probably why we haven't heard anything about spent fuel rods... in 1 2 3

Do they just continue to pump water on these things until what? How they heck do you repair #2?

I suppose getting pumps started back up would be the goal, if that is even possible after 3 blasts and water damage and radiation..

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LONDON (MarketWatch) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday announced that seven of the nation's oldest nuclear reactors will close for three months as part of a review of plant safety, news reports said. The move comes a day after Merkel announced that Germany would suspend for three months its plan to extend the life of 17 reactors for the three-month review. The decision comes as a nuclear crisis in Japan deepened

I don't understand the great concern now about the safety of nuclear plants. The plants in Japan did what they were supposed to do in an earthquake. They weren't damaged and they shut down as planned. The problem was poor planning on the effects of a tsunami on the backup diesel generators. They and the fuel should have been safely out of reach of the tsunami. I don't know why this isn't pointed out more by the media.

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I have a friend of mine in Japan studying abroad SW of Tokyo. When I wrote on her wall about the recent developments last night and for her to keep us updated, she once again wrote on my wall that she hopes I'm not watching CNN/Fox/any U.S. News because there is "no real danger of "nuclear meltdowns" or "Chernobyl" or all the other fearmongering buzzwords they're using." She seems to be the calmest person out of any that I've spoken to - I wonder how they're painting the situation over there.

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I don't understand the great concern now about the safety of nuclear plants. The plants in Japan did what they were supposed to do in an earthquake. They weren't damaged and they shut down as planned. The problem was poor planning on the effects of a tsunami on the backup diesel generators. They and the fuel should have been safely out of reach of the tsunami. I don't know why this isn't pointed out more by the media.

Because the media is all about the hype and ratings. Reality is not exciting.

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I have a friend of mine in Japan studying abroad SW of Tokyo. When I wrote on her wall about the recent developments last night and for her to keep us updated, she once again wrote on my wall that she hopes I'm not watching CNN/Fox/any U.S. News because there is "no real danger of "nuclear meltdowns" or "Chernobyl" or all the other fearmongering buzzwords they're using." She seems to be the calmest person out of any that I've spoken to - I wonder how they're painting the situation over there.

Yesterday state-run NHK seemed to portray the situation as pretty serious after it was announced that there was an explosion at reactor #2. Though comparisons with Chernobyl are probably way off the mark.

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I don't understand the great concern now about the safety of nuclear plants. The plants in Japan did what they were supposed to do in an earthquake. They weren't damaged and they shut down as planned. The problem was poor planning on the effects of a tsunami on the backup diesel generators. They and the fuel should have been safely out of reach of the tsunami. I don't know why this isn't pointed out more by the media.

people are irrational

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