Fukushima No. 4 fuel pool “is perhaps the greatest threat humanity has ever faced”

[Ichingcarpenter]

David Webb, Chief Executive Officer of Origin Investments AB (Sweden): I think we should keep in mind that TEPCO declared plants 1, 2 and 3 to be in cold shut-down. And of course we now know that was not the case. Other people were pointing out that the cores had melted down through the facility. We now know that is the case. [...]

[...] the most dangerous thing is the cooling pool of Unit 4. Now it is terribly dangerous because the entire hot core of reactor 4 had been removed and put in this cooling pool shortly before the tsunami. [...]

The entire area is weakened and there is a great risk of an aftershock. Now this pool contains something on the order of 400 kg of hot plutonium. So, the thing that people should be aware of is that TEPCO is going to begin attempting to remove these rods [...]

The media coverage of the situation has been almost non-existent. The public must become engaged and the governments must become engaged because this is a global threat. [...]

This is perhaps the greatest threat humanity has ever faced. [...] the measures that the Japanese government is discussing at this point are not sufficient, I believe. Other governments must become engaged in this.







http://enenews.com/global-threat-fukushima-4-fuel-pool-greatest-threat-humanity-faced-ceo





Source: ABC Radio Australia
Date: September 3, 2013

At 1:30 in

Sen Lam, ABC Radio Australia: Professor Tanter, it’s been over two years since the disaster, and of course the situation as we’ve just found out is far from stable. In layman terms, what do you think is the biggest technical challenge facing the ruined nuclear plant to make it safe again?

Richard Tanter, expert on nuclear power issues and professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne: Well, the first one, and the most immediate one, is the news that the Reactor Unit 4, the one which has a very large amount of stored fuel in its fuel storage pool, that is sinking. According to former prime Minister Kan Naoto, that has sunk some 31 inches in places and it’s not uneven. This is really not surprising given what’s happened in terms of pumping of water, the aftermath of the earthquake and the tsunami, the continuing infusions of water into the groundwater area. This is an immediate problem, and if it is not resolved there is an extraordinary possibility we really could be back at March 2011 again because of the possibility of a fission accident in that spent fuel pond in Unit No. 4.

Full broadcast here



http://enenews.com/professor-fukushima-unit-4-immediate-problem-building-sinking-30-inches-places-extraordinary-possibility-plant-could-be-march-2011-resolved-risk-fission-accident-fuel-pool-audio

[RobertEarl]

1. That's scary

How did this happen? Who is the wise guy who decided to put all that waste and water way above ground?

[snagglepuss]

2. I have to wonder whether the reason other countries aren't involved in the effort

is that no one knows what to do so it would look extremely bad for the nuclear industry if dozens of countries were involved but no successful resolution is found. If Japanese efforts fail the rest of nuclearindustry can simply say that this disaster was badly managed.

I would be interested to know what Webb thinks should be done to contain the damage besides having other nations involved.

[Ichingcarpenter]

4. Other countries have offered to help 2 years ago

Tepco has declined.

I read today the solution for now is an ice wall. Please kick it so to tie this thread on the same page.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023585595

I was trying to find reaction to what is going on and found these links to explain the necessity of the ice which the bbc article really didn't cover

Now after reading more its pretty fucked up and Tepco has done a job on denial

[BlueToTheBone]

15. One question

won't the heat of the core melt the ice?

[1-Old-Man]

3. There are storage tanks and pits at DOE sites that scare me a lot more

Hanford, Idaho, Savannah River. Go look around, you do not have to go all the way to Japan to find some of the scariest places on earth.

[RobertEarl]

6. Partly true, old man

Fukushima has 4 serious problems going on. Besides being probably the largest single repository of active nuclear materials and waste in any one place, it is out of control, unlike the other places which have not yet raced out of control.

The increasing nuclear environmental pollution at Fukushima is leading toward the place being unworkable. Even now, robots sent in to check out the 3 melted cores are disabled in minutes it is already so bad.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. Not with rods when exposed

which may cause a nuclear fission reaction with this much plutonium material.


According to reporting by Reuters, the radioactive material within the fuel rods slated for removal are equivalent to 14,000 times the amount released in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the plan to move them "has never been attempted before on this scale."

The 400 tons of highly irradiated spent fuel and other nuclear materials will be taken from the crippled building and moved to a safer location, but the manner of the operation should be put in serious doubt, say the experts.

"They are going to have difficulty in removing a significant number of the rods," said Arnie Gundersen, a veteran U.S. nuclear engineer and director of Fairewinds Energy Education. The fuel rods are being stored in a cooling pool, but if a reaction begins, Gundersen expressed serious concern to Reuters about the company's ability to respond.

"To jump to the conclusion that it is going to work just fine," said Gundersen, "is quite a leap of logic."


"The problem with a fuel pool criticality is that you can't stop it. There are no control rods to control it," he said. "The spent fuel pool cooling system is designed only to remove decay heat, not heat from an ongoing nuclear reaction."



https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/08/14-6

I don't think you know how serious this is.

[JRLeft]

5. You would think this would be a compelling case to close all nuclear facilities.

[questionseverything]

13. or at least build up

the emergency cooling systems...i read a report that said here in the USA many of our nuc plants have generators for back up cooling and fuel for 8 hours...8 hours thats it

i would like to see windmills added to each site to provide the cooling energy...then at least a glitch in the electrical delivery system would not mean a melt down

[otohara]

7. SOS Japan

Help is needed.

My heart breaks for Japan

[msongs]

9. sounds like the plot to the original godzilla movie nt

[bvar22]

10. The Lesson form Fukushima:

[font size=3]As long as we continue to use Nuclear Power,
Fukushima (and WORSE) WILL happen again,
.
.
.
and AGAIN,
.
.
.
.
And Again.
[/font]

[pansypoo53219]

11. so much for 'good' for the planet.

[Orrex]

12. Can't we simply bomb them?

Bombs make everything better, don't they?

[miyazaki]

14. hysterical. the headline and the website.

the best solution for any nuclear hysteria seems to be stick your head
between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye. why even try to educate yourself?