Good news! The inner reactor container is intact after the blast at Unit 3!

[FourScore]

Breaking at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42056237/ns/world_news-asia-pacific/

[Paradoxical]

1. Nothing short of the explosion of the reactor would breach the reactor container vessel.

[Bonobo]

14. I read they were designed to even contain full meltdown indefinitely. nt.

[Agony]

17. Really? then why the fuck it is maybe leaking water?

However, Tokyo Electric recently reported that the water level in the Unit 3 reactor still remains more than 2 meters (6 feet) below the top of the fuel and company officials believe that water may be leaking from the reactor vessel.

Why are you constantly saying shit that you positively know crap is true or not?

Actually, forget I am not interested in any sort of colloquy with you...

Have fun.

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/japan-nuclear-crisis-03132011-0313.html

[Paradoxical]

20. I heard that the plant maybe sinking into the ocean.

Just a maybe. But, you know, maybe means yes.

[jpak]

21. Yeah - but the drywell - which is a vial part of the containment system - may have been damaged

TEPCO has specifically not mentioned the status of the dry well - which is physically connected to the pressure suppression torus.

Happy talk fail

yup

[Paradoxical]

22. From what I understand, drywell is just another name for the reactor containment vessel.

[jpak]

28. There is the drywell and the reactor vessel

there maybe a translation problem but in the GE Mark 1 BWR containment they are not the same things

[Paradoxical]

31. Ah alright I know what you're talking about.

What is the drywell made of? And is it inside or outside the containment vessel?

[jpak]

39. IIRC it is reinforced concrete - if I'm wrong I hope to be corrected

n/t

[Ex Lurker]

24. O Rly?

Looks like a mushroom cloud to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIZKlaEZMLY&feature=player_embedded

[Paradoxical]

26. You think that was a nuclear explosion?

Do you have any idea what a nuclear explosion looks like?

[Ex Lurker]

33. Anyone alive since 1945 knows what one looks like nt.

[Paradoxical]

35. So could you explain to me how that video was of a nuclear explosion?

Like could you explain to me how the nuclear fuel could have suffered from a rapid nuclear reaction.

[Ex Lurker]

36. "remain calm, all is well." nt

[Paradoxical]

40. Okay so the answer is no. Let me explain something to you...

Fast nuclear reactions, also known as a nuclear explosion or detonation, require very specific circumstances to occur.

You can dump a pile of uranium onto the ground and step on it and it won't go critical. A fast fission reaction requires spontaneous detonation of the material in order to initiate a chain reaction (otherwise you will nuclear "fizzle" which is essentially partial detonation). This generally involves the rapid implosion of the fission material with conventional explosives. You can also shoot a piece of the fission material into the middle of the rest of the fission material.

There is no physical way to compress nuclear fuel in such a way to initiate a fast nuclear reaction.

[Ex Lurker]

48. Care to come back today and eat crow nt?

[Union Scribe]

49. Why would they? You're the one who thinks a nuke went off.

[BillyJack]

2. Happy smiley people

:eyes:

[liberalmuse]

3. I hope so...

I just read this article featuring a guy who helped build this plant:


SEATTLE - A local man is keeping a closer eye than most on what's happening with Japan's stricken nuclear reactors.

That's because he helped develop one of them.

Ron Karzmar, a physicist and engineer, helped develop and manufacture all of the control panels and nuclear sensors inside the plant 40 years ago.

Now, he watches with the rest of the world as Japanese officials warn there could be a second explosion at the same quake-damaged plant where a nuclear reactor unit blew up on Saturday.

More here: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117909924.html

[kristopher]

7. Some of that is worth quoting

"I'm concerned, I'm very concerned," he says. "I have yet to see anybody from the plant who's an engineer that can actually tell us what's happening - they can't see inside there because it's highly radioactive."

So far, Japanese officials say the explosion caused no damage to the inside of the reactor. But Karzmar wonders how officials know that.

"I'm not sure the politicians are terribly right because they're using some phraseology that isn't quite appropriate," he says.


http://www.komonews.com/news/local/117909924.html



Thanks for the article.

[liberalmuse]

13. Yeah, I avoided doing that...

and just posted the link. But it's definitely worth quoting. I just didn't want to cause a shit storm and be accused of trying to cause a panic here or anything like that. :eyes:

[texastoast]

16. Then by all means

Don't let me tell you about what the folks who worked at the South Texas Nuclear Project in the late 1970s told me about the quality of construction, including the fact that faulty welds and subgrade concrete were passed to be sure that the contractor would meet deadlines and avoid cost overruns (and even then they didn't). The welders told me that the only way to make STNP (now STP to avoid the nuklar word) safe is to tear it down and rebuild it. Yippee.

[thewiseguy]

4. It is too early to draw these sort of conclusions

[cbdo2007]

5. Can you please come back and update us then sometime in 2014?

[thewiseguy]

9. The radiation levels at reactor 1 are once again above the legal limits

That after the explosion on saturday and the government flooding the reactor with sea water. Yea everything is OK!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-03/14/c_13776556.htm

[Hannah Bell]

42. wrong. Fukushima Plant #1, which has several *reactors,* including reactor

#1, being flooded with water.

It's in the story -- you didn't even have to do any research, just read.

But don't bother trying to get the facts straight, just keep posting irresponsible crap.

[Saboburns]

6. Of course it survived

It was built to withstand a helluva lot worse. The panic and hand wringing on this site is worrisome. Some of been sobbing, and gnashing their teeth going on four days now.

At least wait until it's time to panic.

I figure that there's going to be no need to panic at all, but hey, that's just the way I see it.

All of these reactors have a containment vessel, each of them have three to be exact. Chernobyl had none.

Be concerned?!? Sure, but it's not time to panic.

[tabatha]

10. The person who developed it is worried.

Don't you think he knows more than you? Duh.

[meow mix]

25. how about taking that hugh brain of yours over there to help then

not to mention your insulting ass.

[Prometheus Bound]

47. When exactly is the time to panic?

Or even generally.

To me it seems like a waste of time and energy under any circumstances.

[Zoeisright]

8. So they say.

Do you really believe what these officials say?

Really?

[Saboburns]

12. So far yes

Do you understand what kind of force it would take to breach these containment vessels?? They were built for this purpose. To withstand a ground zero 747 hit.

There's a bunch of hand waving anti nuke people laying out huge loads of bullshit and screaming I told you so.

So far there's been no radiation trouble to speak of. I certainly hope that there won't be.

[spanone]

15. i smell bullshit everywhere....no nukes

[Oilwellian]

19. Oh really?

Military Crew Said to Be Exposed to Radiation, but Officials Call Risk in U.S. Slight

The Pentagon was expected to announce that the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, which is sailing in the Pacific, passed through a radioactive cloud from stricken nuclear reactors in Japan, causing crew members on deck to receive a month’s worth of radiation in about an hour, government officials said Sunday.

The officials added that American helicopters flying missions about 60 miles north of the damaged reactors became coated with particulate radiation that had to be washed off.

There was no indication that any of the military personnel had experienced ill effects from the exposure. (Everyone is exposed to a small amount of natural background radiation.)

But the episodes showed that the prevailing winds were picking up radioactive material from crippled reactors in northeastern Japan. Ever since an earthquake struck Japan on Friday, the authorities worldwide have been laying plans to map where radioactive plumes might blow and determine what, if any, danger they could pose to people.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14plume.html?_r=1&src=tptw

[Zoeisright]

23. I ignore the right people.

No doubt that was some stupid, gullible comment. But I don't have to read it!! Yippy skippy!

[Paradoxical]

29. It was an incredibly stupid, gullible comment.

That boggles even my mind.

They said that there has been no major radiation leaks. Which is BS.

[Oilwellian]

32. Yes, the "right people" you speak of

seem to appear after dusk. :D

[Canuckistanian]

11. Good

So it was just excess hydrogen burning.... better news than containment building explosion destroying the actual reactor.

[meow mix]

18. how do they know instantly that its undamaged?

that seems awful fast

[RandomThoughts]

34. More importantly.

How could a nuclear reactor have a cooling failure from a power outage.

First off they generate electricity, second you would think they would have a pretty solid system for handling power outages. Back up generators not working? That can't be correct over multiple reactors.

At the grocery store I worked at, they tested the back up generators every year, there is no way the story is being told correctly.


The story said, power went out, and back up generators did not work for cooling system. That can not be correct, it is ridiculous.

I would guess if there is damage, it was from quake or flood, and they don't want to admit that, because then it is a construction flaw, not an operational flaw.

[meow mix]

38. theyve been silent on why the 13 diesel generators failed

racheal said they failed about the same time the tsunami hit though

[Yo_Mama]

41. From the tsunami

It was huge and it swamped the generators.

[Thunderstruck]

44. Because they're obviously there looking at it, nevermind that blast.

[Oilwellian]

27. And then there's this

NYT: Radioactive Releases in Japan Could Last Months, Experts Say http://nyti.ms/i5T2Sa

[Poll_Blind]

43. Oilwellian, that cartoon in your sig must be at least...3-ish years old and I tell ya it just...

...keeps getting truer every time I see it!

PB

[Oilwellian]

45. You know it

That's why I recently retrieved it from the bowels of my political file and dusted it off. I even have it displayed on my refrigerator. :D

[HCE SuiGeneris]

30. I really, really hope that's true.

It would be a great win in the hardship they are enduring.

[Prometheus Bound]

37. Does anyone really believe the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Tokyo knows anything?

[BlueCollar]

46. kick...

:popcorn: