Coolant pumps damaged beyond repair at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power - reactor No. 2

[jpak]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2011/03/21/2011-03-21_smoke_from_japanese_nuclear_plants_reactor_forces_evacuation_of_fukushima_daiich.html

Cooling pumps at one of Japan's crippled nuclear reactors are damaged beyond repair and will need to be replaced, officials learned Monday.

The revelation dashed hopes for a quick resolution to the ongoing nuclear catastrophe at the leaking Fukushima Dai-ichi plant.

An emergency order has been placed for new pumps for Unit 2 at the plant, but it's unclear how quickly they would arrive, officials said.

Engineers have worked around the clock to restore power to the facility, but damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami means it may take weeks to repair the required systems, officials warn.

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[buddysmellgood]

1. I guess I'm going to have to go over there. I'd have ordered those pumps

those extra pumps and parts or identified their whereabouts days ago. What the fuck?!

[Warren Stupidity]

2. I don't think these are those sorts of pumps.

You don't pick these up at home depot or keep a spare handy.

[Peace Patriot]

4. You don't keep a spare handy for dealing with the most dangerous substance on earth?

The cost cutting around this disaster has been appalling--including cramming six nuclear reactors AND spent fuel rods together at one site, the lack of secondary backup in case of a truly big earthquake/tsunami in the most earthquake-prone country on earth, the SLOWNESS to use sea water because they wanted to "save" this profitable, billion-dollar facility, the slowness to evacuate, the lies about radiation levels and the absolutely criminal endangerment of workers, neighbors and other people, and of sea fisheries, with all these ventings of irradiated steam, damaged reactors and burning spent fuel rods. The list goes on and on. And now we must add: failure to get backup pumps in place. This is unbelievable!

There are companies and countries all over the world who have rushed to get Japan whatever it needed in this situation! I have a lot of compassion for the managers and workers--and even the company and government officials--who are trying to deal with this utter disaster-within-utter disaster. I truly hesitate to judge. But I sure think somebody's lying about why they didn't get these pumps in place. It could be more lethal cost-cutting. But it could also be inattention.

When I read about their slowness to use sea water (which ruins the reactors) when it was so clear that the entire freshwater system had been blown out by the tsunami and meltdowns were occurring, and that they had been sending workers BACK INTO this heavily irradiated facility in a stupid, useless effort to "save it," I began to truly wonder about the state of mind of the company officials (and the apparent weakness of the government in dealing with them). And I'm wondering now if the psychological depression of losing the facility is affecting their judgement. Maybe they just don't care any more. This may not be their fault, exactly. They must be very traumatized. But it sounds to me like a new team needs to take over. The current team (the CEO burst into tears on camera the other day) may feel so much guilt and shock that they really cannot deal with it.

[flamingdem]

6. Many good points made here

The psychological toll is immense. They need relief but who would fill their shoes?

The USA offered immediately and said the only condition was they had to lose the plant and Tepco said no. They wanted to salvage the plant and not lose $

They don't know what's going on, amazing with all of Japan's technical knowhow that they can't get stats on No. 4 and No. 3. Or they know and do not wish to say how much damage / melting has occurred. Instead, they are always baffled by the smoke, not knowing what is causing it.

The US said the pools are empty, something is fishy.

I read that it's difficult to detect plutonium with radiation gear.

So many questions, so much apparent ineptitude and cultural baggage in the way.

[kristopher]

9. IF they get power on they think they can get good data.

Imagine the guy who calculated the odds of maximum number of spare pumps needing to be kept on hand for 6 reactors.

In hindsight everyone will say "well with something so dangerous they should have ..."

[FreakinDJ]

5. Wrong - Triple Redundent Cooling System - there are 3 pumps

for each Chill Water Supply Loop

I mean seriously - living here in Calif I am certainly not happy about the situation blowing in from the East. But the last thing I am going to do is spread disinformation to my fellow DUers to exemplify a point

[leveymg]

7. Unfortunately, they're all clustered together on the same line. Nice GE-design. Redundant but not

designed to survive an actual foreseeable natural disaster. Nice GE-design. Great industry.

[Throckmorton]

11. Those are the main feedwater pumps

Not the ECCS and Core spray pumps. The ECCS and core spray pumps are arranged in to redundant trains, with diverse power supplies.

Main feedwater isn't what is needed, and besides, they are driven by small turbines that use extraction steam off the main turbine, which goes away on a plant trip.

[Warren Stupidity]

10. yes but that triple redundant system failed - and they don't

have a spare 20M pump hanging around.

[FreakinDJ]

12. EVERY thing in a Nuke is Triple Redundent

still don't make them tsunami proof

[buddysmellgood]

8. LOL! That sounds like a TEPCO response.

[flamingdem]

3. They let on to this days ago, more show for the public that they would ever

hook up 2 again.

These folks are screwed. Please, they didn't wait until now to order the parts did they.......... screwed.