Japanese Government News Conference on the nuclear emergency: no damage to the reactor.

[Hannah Bell]

1) The explosion occurred between the nuclear reactor & the containment wall.

2) The reactor was not damaged; the containment wall was.

3) Previous high reading of 1015 micro SV was due to venting & has dropped to 70.5 micro SV as of 6:58

4) They are going to try to cover the reactor in seawater; this is a previously untried technique, that's why the extended evacuation area (20 km)

http://yokosonews.com/live

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110312p2g00m0dm073000c.html

[mmonk]

1. Thank you for the update.

Using sea water can work.

[Hannah Bell]

3. it appears some would rather continue to post on the apocalypse.

[mmonk]

16. I oppose nuclear but understand fully how it works and cooling options.

Sea water will bring it to a safe temperature and any containment damage can be minimalized and fixed. That is as long as there hasn't been an irreversible core meltdown in progress. My problems with nuclear is that the risk to the environment on such a long trajectory is not worth refusing using an alternative (even if it's clean operationally).

[drm604]

2. So what exploded?

Was it hydrogen? Diesel fuel? Something else?

[Hannah Bell]

5. hydrogen per the news conference.

[drm604]

8. Does that mean that the fuel is overheating and breaking down the cooling water? n/t

[jannyk]

12. That was the scenario offered by Nuke experts on the BBC - prior

to official admission of Hydrogen being the culprit.

"If nuclear fuel rods overheat and then come into contact with water, this produces a large amount of highly-flammable hydrogen gas which can then ignite,"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

What no-one has said, and what I don't have a handle on is, is water getting to the rods 'normal' or is this an indication of some sort of a 'breach'?

[drm604]

22. I'm pretty sure that water getting to the rods is normal.

As I understand it, they're normally submerged in water to keep them from overheating. The problem occurs when you lose the ability to circulate the water - replacing heated water with cooler water. Without this circulation the water boils away exposing the rods and allowing them to heat beyond what is acceptable. That heat then breaks the steam down into hydrogen and oxygen which eventually ignite.

[Sirveri]

36. hydrogen is added to the coolant as an oxygen scavenger

Oxygen causes corrosion, so they add hydrogen to gobble it up. When steam is generated all gases tend to come out of solution, and thus the creation of hydrogen gas. Neutron hammer can also produce hydrogen gas. In this case the feed and bleed should have removed most of the hydrogen however.

[eppur_se_muova]

44. H2 is also formed when *overheated* fuel rods react with H2O ...

at lower temps, not an issue. If the fuel rods are exposed and overheat, temps can go high enough that metals began to react with the steam.

About 130 minutes after the first malfunction, the top of the reactor core was exposed and the intense heat caused a reaction to occur between the steam forming in the reactor core and the Zircaloy nuclear fuel rod cladding, yielding zirconium dioxide, hydrogen, and additional heat. This fiery reaction burned off the nuclear fuel rod cladding, the hot plume of reacting steam and zirconium damaged the fuel pellets which released more radioactivity to the reactor coolant and produced hydrogen gas that is believed to have caused a small explosion in the containment building later that afternoon.<17>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident#Consequences_of_stuck_valve

[Sirveri]

45. That's another possibility. If the core was only covered by steam it's a definite possibility.

[eppur_se_muova]

46. Early reports suggested not that much above boiling water temps ...

but situation was "fluid", to say the least. Not clear yet if things ever got that hot.

[Sirveri]

47. I keep forgetting this is a BWR, lower operating temps.

Considering TMI hit 1700F, I'm not sure they're quite there yet. Though I heard they're going to start seawater injection, which will really screw the core if true, so this thing is probably scrap at this point.

[FSogol]

6. Take your pick: Flooded transformers, overworked pumps, welding equipment gas canisters, ...

[DCBob]

4. That is very good news indeed..

many were speculating about a meltdown.

[Cirque du So-What]

13. *were* speculating?

I anticipate much needless wringing of hands over the next few days - regardless of assurances that a meltdown is not forthcoming.

[DCBob]

33. no doubt..

disaster junkies are having a heyday.

[Junkdrawer]

7. Cover the reactor in seawater, but all is well?

Riiiight....

[leveymg]

15. If the reactor core containment vessel is violated, the water will be irradiated and vaporize,

creating a plume of radioactive steam. That's not the worst thing. The worst case would be to a complete meltdown of the rods, or a reactor fire (a la Chernobyl) that burns sending up irradiated particles that will return to earth as fallout.

[Yo_Mama]

20. It would appear that it already has been.

But as long as the containment vessel is intact and the water levels are kept up, there won't be a massive problem.

You aren't going to get cesium and iodine unless the fuel rods were exposed and the internal reactor was leaking out.

[leveymg]

38. When they vented the core, Cesium and Iodine were released, but I

suspect in relatively small amounts compared to what would occur in a container breach.

I wonder how they are powering the cooling pumps if the primary and backup electricity was knocked out? A feeder line from another reactor-powered generator? Don't they now have to keep at least one running reactor to power the pumps that cool those that have been damaged and had to be shut down?

[Yo_Mama]

42. Mobile generators

That's all they have to work with. Power is out. And they will be using seawater because I bet the water lines are dry too.

They didn't vent the core. They vented the containment vessel (surrounds the reactor) which is still intact after the explosion.

[leveymg]

43. I thought the diesel generators were gone. As for cesium and iodine coming from

venting the containment vessel, instead of the core, how did the those radioactive isotopes escape into the containment vessel if the core wasn't damaged, as is claimed?

I conclude that either they vented the core vessel to prevent it too from exploding, or it's been breached (seriously damaged). The cesium and iodine had to escape from the core in some fashion.

[Sirveri]

48. Cs and I naturally exist in the coolant due to imperfections in the fuel rods.

The question is how much is actually there in the coolant, which will then be used to determine if there was a cladding failure or not.

[leveymg]

50. If the Cesium-137 and Iodine-131 were within "normal' levels, we would have been told that.

So, I'm not really encouraged to hear that trace amounts are normal, although I appreciate the information.

[denem]

9. Where's the iodine coming from Hannah?

You know, the fission product with a short half life that barely exists in waste storage?

Why are the Ministry distributing iodine tablets to every one in the area, and stockpiling them in Tokyo?

[LAGC]

10. Better to have and not need...

...than need and not have.

Standard precautions. Nothing to get worked up and alarmed over.

[denem]

18. Funnily enough, the Russians have a very different view of whats happening.

Iodine and cesium have been detected outside the plant. The presence of iodine is crucial. In their view, the known evidence is inconstant with an explosion in the secondary containment chamber. I might add they have been first to report each new development.

[druidity33]

21. Russian news source?

Do you have any links? English language links, that is. I've been hearing about RTV (?) since this earthquake happened, but i have no point of reference for them. Are they the Russian version of FauxNews, CNN, or PBS? I can't really do video at home, so rely on standard "print" media and news websites.

:shrug:

[Agony]

28. Russia Times

http://rt.com/

[denem]

30. TV yes, interviews with scientists

http://rt.com/on-air

But for the record a 'Expert' on the BBC World Service just said the 'pieces are all falling into place', the explosion MUST have come from the inner chamber.

[Hannah Bell]

34. again, please link to said report.

[Hannah Bell]

24. why don't you link to said reports so that people can judge for themselves

instead of relying on your say-so.

[JackRiddler]

52. You sound so reasonable... up to "Nothing to get worked up and alarmed over."

Needless rhetoric that tells us how to feel tends to get me worked up, strangely enough.

[Hannah Bell]

17. from the venting release would be my assumption, same place the higher levels

of radiation initially reported came from.

i repeat, if the gov;t is lying that can be determined eventually by anyone with the right equipment.

[still_one]

32. I don't know if they are lying or not, but if they are that would be stupid since as you said it

will be detected soon enough if it is so

[mmonk]

27. Obvious by-product of this approach and core temperatures.

Nuclear=electricity=hydrolysis of sea water=iodine.

[Gravel Democrat]

11. Thank goodness the only governments that lie are the ones we don't like nt

[Hannah Bell]

14. if the government is lying about the radiation levels, that can be verified

independently even by private citizens with the right equipment.

if the reactor has been breached, contra what the japanese gov't is reporting, continuing high levels of radiation will register.

[intaglio]

23. I think China would want honesty

and they probably have ships in the area already monitoring the radiation levels.

The big problem is the reactor vessel is intact but the containment building is gone. If the seawater coverage results in unexpected chemical reactions then the reactor vessel could go as well - and all bets are off.

[Hannah Bell]

29. yes, many terrible things can happen. why don't you wait until they do

to report them.

[denem]

25. In this case I'm putting my marbles with the Russians

who are disputing the official line. We shall see. I HOPE the conference information was accurate. I don't want to see any more loss of life or environmental damage notwithstanding that I am against nuclear energy, inevitably controlled by huge corporations

See my account of being lied to about Chernobyl if you like:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x622445

[Hannah Bell]

31. if they're lying, they are. my beef is with people who repeat rumors,

predict apocalypse, & misreport news reports.

if they are lying, we'll know sooner rather than later.

if they are not lying, or even if they are, what the hell good does it do to muddy the actual reportage with speculation and hysteria?

[intaglio]

19. Thanks for this, hope it quiets some panickers n/t

[MadHound]

26. So let's see here,

The core has partially melted.

An explosion has destroyed the building that houses containment, which in turn houses the reactor.

Large amounts of radiation are spewing out.

The containment vessel is supposedly undamaged, despite suffering pressures over two times its maximum designed limit, despite going through an explosion.

So the reactor is in dire shape, shorn of support services, and the last hope is a containment vessel whose condition is dicey at best.

Not good.

[WinkyDink]

35. Believed when seen.

[meow mix]

37. Tepco disagrees. guess they dont have thier ducks in a row

Government officials have not confirmed a meltdown at Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, contradicting reports from TEPCO.

[Hannah Bell]

39. LINK? You keep reporting things without links, please stop.

Not a game.

[meow mix]

40. np, you could try following the feeds

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110312D12JF423.htm

[Hannah Bell]

41. um, do you know what time it is in japan now & do you know what time that report was

made & what it refers to?

i'm following nhk live.

if you're going to post things, please link them.

[SidDithers]

49. Even more clear...

the explosion occurred between the undamaged steel containment around the core and the containment wall of the building. The core is still within an intact steel containment vessel.

There are multiple levels of containment with these reactors.

Thanks for the post.

Sid

[sabrina 1]

51. Excellent news, thank you ~