Topic: Japanese Quake and Pacific Tsunami

[Nichi]

They've upgraded their alert level from 4 to 5. (out of 7)

[Builder]

They've upgraded their alert level from 4 to 5. (out of 7)

Russian experts assess it as deliberately downgrading the situation. It is a level of alert equal to that of Three Mile Island emergency in the US. However, these situations are not comparable. In the US they never lost control of cooling systems and were able to contain the event within the reactor.

In Japan all control of reactors has been lost and there are strong suspicions (based on detection of radioactive iodine outside the reactor) that the melting process of fuel rods is much more intensive than in the Three Mile Island.

To put things into perspective: registered radiation levels (one worker received a dose of 106 millisieverts)  around the reactor  no. 3 building are now 700,000 times higher than is normally next to a working reactor. However, the authorities express it like this:

At Fukushima Daiini unit 3 one worker received a radiation dose of 106 mSv. This is a notable dose, but comparable to levels deemed acceptable in emergency situations by some national nuclear safety regulators.

[Jahn]

What happened?
When the Earth quake hit the plant the automatic secure system released the active fuel-cells in the four running reactors. So far so good.

This is one of the significant differences compared to Tjernobyl.

The Soviet reactor was on full speed when the explosion happened. The Japanese reactors was released.

The situation in Fukushima is very serious, and they got 4 plants at risk for a melt down, and 2 plants unstable. Nevertheless, to compare with Tjernobyl is not adequate.

[Jahn]

I noticed that in today's news even Japanese admit that they might have to simply bury the whole station and cast concrete sarcophagus around every reactor.

If they are unable to cool the reactors, to bury them will be an option.

[Jahn]

They've upgraded their alert level from 4 to 5. (out of 7)

But Swedish (and other independent professionals ww) has all along said that it is a 6. And that the security zone should be 80 km and not 20 or 30 km (20 miles), as the Japanese authorities recommend.

[Jahn]

What I haven't heard is what happens to the molten matter after it releases this radiation ball. How long it goes on for, how they deal with the molten stuff, likelihood of a chain-reaction explosion?

No chain-reaction explosion is possible, despite that one of the four reactors contain Plutonium. The explosions that have occurred so far were a result of extreme heat in the heating of the surrounding water. In that heating process the H atom in the OH2 molecule simply gets loose and creates hydrogen gas, which is a highly explosive gas.

[Nichi]

There does seem to be minimizing going on by the Japanese public officials --- not that they would be the first to downplay events afoot.  Meanwhile, as I understand it, the UK, the US, Canada, and New Zealand have all recommended/requested evacuation by their nationals from Tokyo and several miles to the west and south of Tokyo. I read something yesterday ... that some from a flight (Tokyo to Dallas/Fort Worth) were radioactive to a mild degree. (Don't know what happens following such a discovery: it leads to many other questions.)

From an airport in Bangkok:

[Builder]

A good website explaining many things about the nuclear disaster. It is maintained and constantly updated by the students of nuclear engineering of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

[Michael]

Thanks E - that is informative.

[Builder]

There have been breaking news that the inner core of reactor no. 3 may be breached. Thus, very dangerous radiation leaks are possible.

[Jahn]

Now radio-active water leaks all over the place. 1400 times higher radiation than normal is registered. I think the Japanese lost the initiative since day one, and now have lost it completely. And the activity indicates one, or several severe leaks.

After the explosions in the buildings, explosions that came early, and they tried with water bombing, I said:
"It is time for some Russian cementation."

Guess if I will be right?

This trying to cool down the reactors, postpone the stop of severe radio-active leaks.

[Builder]

After the explosions in the buildings, explosions that came early, and they tried with water bombing, I said:
"It is time for some Russian cementation."

Guess if I will be right?

Very safe guess.
It is what Japanese have been talking about for well over a week already. Besides, there are no other ways and means to deal with contaminated areas and highly radioactive objects - you bury them.

[Jahn]

Guess if I will be right?

Then I added in the modify option "But do not hope that I have" or something like that, when saving the modified post  my connection went down. I have figured out that this IT cable is not that good as the others, and this cable has some times given me these close downs.

So to sum it up: I do not want to be right in this case, but unfortunately it can be that bad.

[Jahn]

Very safe guess.
It is what Japanese have been talking about for well over a week already. Besides, there are no other ways and means to deal with contaminated areas and highly radioactive objects - you bury them.

Yes that must be an option, instead of this dibbling and dabbling with efforts to get the cooling going. Now the reactors differs in damagae, so perhaps they can cool one or two, but have to bury the rest of the reactors.

[Michael]

I'm finding this whole affair confusing - we keep hearing mixed messages. But from what I have now heard, it is the concrete underneath that has possible cracked. I do hope they get on top of it before an awful disaster, but it's not looking positive at this time.

I suppose one positive side is that the Nuclear Industry is now completely on-the-nose. I heard in the US there has been no new investment in nuclear plants since their last incident, Three Mile Island. What is odd is that the nuclear was one area of cross-party agreement, for different reasons.

The Republicans liked it because it was a great weapon against their greatest fear - the rise of the Green movement, and their alternative energy agenda.