Asking the Obvious, did Reactor 4 have a Hydrogen Explosion 3/15?

[flamingdem]

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/04/fukushima-i-nuke-plant-asking-obvious.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Japanese Blogger SKF assembles clues regarding events on March 15:

---- SNIP
It is the same wording as the press release on March 15 after this "loud noise" was heard.

Now, let's see what the Japanese MSMs were saying about this "loud noise" on March 15. They did report it, and some, including Yomiuri, even quoted experts saying it could be a hydrogen explosion from the exposed fuel rods in the Spent Fuel Pool.

But then they very quickly moved on, and instead of further pursuing this hydrogen explosion aspect, they latched onto the fire that broke out later that day and the next day, and reported extensively about "two holes on the northwest side of the building". They also latched on quickly to the Self Defense Force chief's comment that there was water in the Reactor 4 Spent Fuel Pool - therefore, no fuel rods were exposed, and so no hydrogen explosion was possible.

So, after a month, it is news (again) to a Yomiuri writer/reporter that there may have been a hydrogen explosion.

The media is just as bad as the government, who "just didn't feel like announcing" the breached Containment Vessel and the core melt down in the Reactor 1 on April 12.

--- SNIP

[lob1]

1. There's an American physicist of Japanese origin who's

written a book and has been all over promoting it, including the Colbert Report and Rachel Maddow. I'm sorry I don't remember his name. Anyway, he mentioned on one of the shows that there has been 4 hydrogen explosions there, which surprised me. But he tossed it off like it was common knowledge.

[flamingdem]

2. Very interesting, it's surely Michio Kaku

there are some videos of him in the Political Videos section.

I wonder if he figured this out

[lob1]

4. I believe that's who it was.

He's a really smart guy. I think he might even know more that me about stuff.

[flamingdem]

3. Hydrogen explosions and the zirconium dilemma

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/12-3

snip

The hydrogen explosion problem at nuclear power plants involves a story as crazy as can be. As nuts as using nuclear fission to boil water to generate electricity is, the hydrogen problem and its cause cap the lunacy.

Eruption of hydrogen gas as a first reaction in a loss-of-coolant accident has been discussed with great worry in U.S. government and nuclear industry literature for decades.
That is because a highly volatile substance called zirconium was chosen back in the 1940’s and 50’s, when plans were first developed to build nuclear power plants, as the material to be used to make the rods into which radioactive fuel would be loaded.

There are 30,000 to 40,000 rods—composed of twenty tons of zirconium—in an average nuclear power plant. Many other substances were tried, particularly stainless steel, but only zirconium worked well. That’s because zirconium, it was found, allows neutrons from the fuel pellets in the rods to pass freely between the rods and thus a nuclear chain reaction to be sustained.

But there’s a huge problem with zirconium—it is highly volatile and when hot will explode spontaneously upon contact with air, water or steam. SNIP

[flamingdem]

5. Reference: Wikipedia Timeline of the Fukushima nuclear accidents

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Fukushima_I_nuclear_accidents

[madokie]

6. The more I read about this the more it becomes apparent that we were duped

into allowing these people to build the first nuclear power plants to begin with. If there was every something that we desperately need overs on this is the first one on the list. No more nukes please, just stop it already.

[DCKit]

7. Great. Now you've got the cable shopping channels unreccing these threads.

They make gazillions off zirconium jeweleries.

The thought that my princess Diana memorial ring could explode and kill me and my entire family is just too much. Must remember not to wear it while boiling spaghetti.

[Fledermaus]

8. What happened at unit 3?

[madokie]

10. It blew its top

Hey you asked for it :-) :hi:

[FBaggins]

9. The fuel doesn't have to be exposed to create hydrogen.

The fuel pools create the stuff (slowly) all the time. That's why there are sensors and ventilation systems to keep hydrogen from building up (and it's why they rilled holes in the roof of #5 and #6 even though no fuel had been exposed their.