Japan Nuclear Coverage

[Gawdzilla Sama]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12745899

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy.

What the hell?

Is this just a case of "shit people are suddenly scared of nuclear stuff, so we'll look like we're doing something"?

They'll hunker down until this blows over so Die Gruenen won't flip out.

[Svartalf]

Partly, there's also the fact that a) the Greens have managed to get like crazy powerful in Germany and have been pushing for them to just get rid of nuclear power for years
b) those plants are old and soon due to be closed anyway, so closing them a little earlier indeed makes it look like doing something, when it would have had to be done, possibly even before 2015 anyway

[beige]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12745899

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy.

What the hell?

Is this just a case of "shit people are suddenly scared of nuclear stuff, so we'll look like we're doing something"?

They'll hunker down until this blows over so Die Gruenen won't flip out.

Makes sense.
I remember my Mum complaining that if you put something into the wrong bin when sorting (Müll trennung) that they'd tip out the whole contents of your bin to embarrass you in front of your neighbours, needless to say she was quite happy to move to the UK, and unfortunately as a side effect has little sympathy for anything even remotely "green".

[egbert]

Partial Meltdowns Led to Hydrogen Explosions at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant From SciAm.

Since Three Mile Island evidenced the generation of hydrogen gas by partial core meltdown, nuke stations have been equipped with hydrogen ignitors, designed, in case of emergency, to burn off hydrogen gas before it accumulates in explosive quantities. But, they require electrical power, and the devastation in this case disabled emergency generators, and battery backup only lasted the few hours it was designed for. So, the ignitors were unavailable, and the inevitable hydrogen buildup and explosion occurred.

[Tero]

I googled reactors and hydrogen, and it seems to be a metal reaction of zirconium used as jackets for uranium. It reacts the same way as Mg does:


It was in yahoo answers:

The fuel rods are encased in a metal called zircaloy. It is mostly
zirconium which has a very high affinity for oxygen. When the rods
overheat, the zirconium steals oxygen from the surrounding steam, and
hydrogen gas is produced.

One of the major criticisms of that particular containment building
design (obsolete since the 1970s) is that it has no provision for
dealing with escaped hydrogen gas.

the alloy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircaloy

[Tero]

So that was the H2 that exploded.

[Geoff]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12754883

22:06 GMT


There has been a fresh fire at the quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northern Japan.

The new blaze began at reactor four. The plant has already been hit by four explosions in as many days, which have triggered radiation leaks.

EDIT:

22:21 GMT

The Tokyo Electric Power Co, which owns the Fukushima facility, said on Wednesday that efforts were under way to put out the latest fire.

That's reassuring...

[maiforpeace]

On many occasions it's been hard for me to fight back the tears seeing and reading all the events unfold in Japan, but for some reason this story broke a dam of tears for me.

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

[FBM]

On many occasions it's been hard for me to fight back the tears seeing and reading all the events unfold in Japan, but for some reason this story broke a dam of tears for me.

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

Wow. Just wow.

[Coito ergo sum]

Japan says may seek direct U.S. military help to cool reactors

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/1 ... 2520110316

Workers briefly abandon Japan nuclear plant as crisis worsens

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/ ... SS20110316

Japan's nuclear emergency prompts panic buying in Tokyo

Japan's nuclear crisis has led to empty shelves at shops in Tokyo. Photograph: Sankei via Getty Images

At Core of Ruin, a Search for Life
Residents Pick Over Destroyed Landscape, Seeking Word About Mothers, Brothers

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... TopStories

[.Morticia.]

On many occasions it's been hard for me to fight back the tears seeing and reading all the events unfold in Japan, but for some reason this story broke a dam of tears for me.

Last Defense at Troubled Reactors: 50 Japanese Workers

Mai, me too.

I remember when Chernobyl exploded they showed a team of physicists suiting up to go in and see what they could do.

It was certain death for them.

[egbert]

I remember when Chernobyl exploded they showed a team of physicists suiting up to go in and see what they could do.

It was certain death for them.

You vill go in zee reactor buildink or vee vill shoot you. But, don't vorry, zis paper coverall vill protect you.

[egbert]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12745899

Germany has temporarily shut down seven of its nuclear power plants while it reconsiders its nuclear strategy.

What the hell?

Is this just a case of "shit people are suddenly scared of nuclear stuff, so we'll look like we're doing something"?

In Pickering, Ontario (Canada) the dolts are desperately trying to buy Iodine pills at local pharmacies!

Just imagine - these morons get to vote!

[Geoff]

Dropping water on them from helos now! Wouldn't want to be those flight crews.

[Seth]

I remember when Chernobyl exploded they showed a team of physicists suiting up to go in and see what they could do.

It was certain death for them.

You vill go in zee reactor buildink or vee vill shoot you. But, don't vorry, zis paper coverall vill protect you.

Actually, they were all volunteers, and heroes, and Chernobyl directly killed fewer than 60 people, and it's estimated that IN TOTAL, only about 4000 people may die of radiation exposure directly attributable to Chernobyl.

One of the most informative and rationally restrained commentators on the situation has been Glenn Beck, who took the time to explain exactly what was going on and explain that there is ZERO chance that radiation from the Japanese plants will negatively affect the health of anyone in the United States or points east, because of the radically different design of the Japanese plants and Chernobyl.

Most importantly, he informed people of the facts about Chernobyl and WHY it exploded, and why that explosion was so dangerous and contaminated so much territory.

It's because the design of the Chernobyl plant was entirely different from the Japanese plants. Chernobyl used graphite as the damper medium, and when human error allowed the reaction to run away, the graphite began to burn, and when it exploded, it scattered nuclear fuel all over the place. Moreover, the Chernobyl plant did not have a sealed primary containment, and a weak secondary containment that was easily ruptured by the explosion, and completely insufficient water cooling systems to prevent ignition of the graphite.

In the Japanese reactors, if the primary containment is breached by a total meldown of the core, the secondary containment is designed to prevent a "China syndrome" meltdown.

While there's substantial risk of radiation exposure in Japan, the amounts would be nowhere near Chernobyl levels, even at the plant.

Most of what we're hearing from the media is ignorant speculation that's fueling hysteria, as demonstrated by a run on iodine pills in California.

You get more dosage flying from here to Japan in a jet than you ever will on the coast of California.