The Japanese Nuclear Power Crisis Deepens (Forbes March 24)

[jpak]

http://blogs.forbes.com/oshadavidson/2011/03/24/the-japanese-nuclear-power-crisis-deepens/

Headlines about Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant are becoming rare. But that says more about fickle nature of the media than it does about the tremulous state of affairs at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant (FDI). Despite progress in restoring electricity to some areas of FDI, a member of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority commented yesterday, “We still judge the situation to be critical.”

The truth is, Japan’s nuclear crisis is far from over. Not buying it? Here’s the evidence:

Conditions inside Fukushima Dai-ichi Reactor 2, March 23.

1. Radiation at FDI reactor No. 2 spiked yesterday to 500 microsieverts per hour — the highest level since the crisis began on March 11. Officials say they don’t know the source of the radiation, but likely suspects include the reactor’s containment vessel, the suppression chamber or the spent fuel rod pool — all of which could have been damaged in the explosion of hydrogen gas.

The gas was generated when the outer layer of the fuel rods overheated because of a lack of coolant (i.e., water).

2. Good news/bad news. The good news is that thermometers inside the reactors are back up and running. The bad news is what they show. The reactors are designed to operate at 302°C (575°F). According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which owns and operates the plant, Reactor No. 1 hit 394°C (741°F).

That spells trouble.

<much more>

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

1. "tremulous?"

Headlines about Japan’s stricken nuclear power plant are becoming rare. But that says more about fickle nature of the media than it does about the tremulous state...

boo!

[Tesha]

4. Tremulous: Definitions 1 and 4 both fit well.

Definition of TREMULOUS
1: characterized by or affected with trembling or tremors
2: affected with timidity : timorous
3: such as is or might be caused by nervousness or shakiness <a tremulous smile>
4: exceedingly sensitive : easily shaken or disordered

[Vinnie From Indy]

2. Anyone that saw the video of that explosion would be a fool to think

that the containment vessel and cooling pools were not SEVERELY damaged. The explosion appeared to send debris many hundreds of feet into the air.

[formercia]

3. There was a supersonic shock wave as well.

just like ones seen when a large bomb detonates. If you watch the video, you can see it expanding for a fraction of a second.

[Nihil]

5. Yeah, I saw that ...

It was captured in a slightly slowed video section that kept looping
behind some news programme (Sky News or something) in a pub where we
were having lunch. Suddenly the tragic news about the earthquake and
the tsunami took on a new, worrying, aspect: a shockwave issuing
from a nuclear plant is never going to be a good sign ...

:-(