Black Monday: Nuclear Meltdown in Japan

[benwm]

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/78335.html

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo

The following is the known status as of Tuesday evening of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, crippled by Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

Fukushima No. 1

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, hydrogen explosion, seawater pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, damage to containment system, potential meltdown feared.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater pumped in, hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire caused possibly by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water level feared receding.

-- Reactor No. 5 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.

-- Reactor No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.

Fukushima No. 2

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

 

[noddyboy]

Quote from Martinghoul:

According to the IAEA, "All units at the Fukushima Daini, Onagawa, and Tokai nuclear power plants are in a safe and stable condition (i.e. cold shutdown)."

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

Yes, the plants will probably never be used again, and will be a graveyard -- perhaps even 1-2 miles around. But it is insignificant given the size of Japan and its location away from cities.

 

[Kanzei]

Quote from Martinghoul:

According to the IAEA, "All units at the Fukushima Daini, Onagawa, and Tokai nuclear power plants are in a safe and stable condition (i.e. cold shutdown)."

http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/tsunamiupdate01.html

I hope that's accurate, as I can't get through on that link. As of this morning BBC was reporting that cooling had only been restored at 2 reactors at daini.

 

[Kanzei]

Quote from noddyboy:

Yes, the plants will probably never be used again, and will be a graveyard -- perhaps even 1-2 miles around. But it is insignificant given the size of Japan and its location away from cities.

very significant as a trade (ie - where are they going to get power when those plants are capped).

and if you think that radiation hitting tokyo isn't going to cause millions of cancers of (officially) "undetermined origin" over the next 20 years, you're as gullible as little red riding hood.

Just hope those reactors at daiichi don't explode, or the entire world near the jet stream is going to get sick in the next two decades.

As it is, eating japanese fish is insane... though 80% or more of the population will believe the government when they say everything is fine.

primrose paths for lemmings. think for yourself.

 

[maninjapan]

Kanzei, any thoughts, on the following report. Will try and get some info on the other reactors you speak of, but as far as this one goes, while the situation is highly critical, it seems we still have a way to go before we hit the 'massive amounts of radiation spewing uncontrollably across large parts of Japan'

If you have some other sources that suggest otherwise, I'd be interested in reading them. I've just based my opinions on what I've read myself.

http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/

 

[GTS]

Quote from Kanzei:

What is in your mind anyway? Is it that you think people can take those spent fuel rods and use them as a jungle gym safely? Do you think they are not releasing radiation into the air? Do you think explosions in and around those rods are just an inconvenience?

This has nothing to do with your false statements that I corrected. I never said those spent fuel rods were safe, I just said that that reactor number 4 wasn't melting down which is true.

There are 3 active reactors and 1 inactive reactor at the Daiichi plant, this is true.

Actually there are three inactive but who is counting.

3 have melted down and are totally out of control.

That is a false statement.

But you apparently don't know how many other sites are in peril. What about the Daini plant? 3 reactors there. at least 1 has no cooling at all (read: is getting hotter, will melt down if it hasn't already. probably still contained but we don't know). Cooling was just recently regained on the other two reactors, they may have experienced partial meltdown as well, we don't know.

By my math, that four, and up to six, which are or have melted down.

Your math is seriously in trouble. Instead of guessing about what is going on at Daini why don't you just take the time to read.

 

[Kanzei]

Quote from GTS:

This has nothing to do with your false statements that I corrected. I never said those spent fuel rods were safe, I just said that that reactor number 4 wasn't melting down which is true.

Actually there are three inactive but who is counting.

That is a false statement.

Your math is seriously in trouble. Instead of guessing about what is going on at Daini why don't you just take the time to read.

allright kiddo. sharpshoot all you want. and can i get you on the record going long on yen, nikkei, nuclear, what? what's your goal here?

semantics aren't changing the effect of the situation, so what is all your non-sequitor equivocation aiming at?

 

[GTS]

Quote from Kanzei:

allright kiddo. sharpshoot all you want. and can i get you on the record going long on yen, nikkei, nuclear, what? what's your goal here?

semantics aren't changing the effect of the situation, so what is all your non-sequitor equivocation aiming at?

My goal is to stop the misinformation campaign. The situation is serious but it is far - far from Chernobyl. Tone down the rhetoric and stick the the facts rather than running around screaming that the end is near with your made-up "facts".

As far as my position, I'm long ES - I believe once the reactors are all stable it will rally back to level before the quake...there you have it on record.

 

[Kanzei]

Quote from GTS:

My goal is to stop the misinformation campaign. The situation is serious but it is far - far from Chernobyl. Tone down the rhetoric and stick the the facts rather than running around screaming that the end is near with your made-up "facts".

As far as my position, I'm long ES - I believe once the reactors are all stable it will rally back to level before the quake...there you have it on record.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/germany-nuclear-idUSLDE72E17620110315

germany shutting down 7 plants in response to japanese meltdown.

 

[maninjapan]

Kanzei, this looks like a pretty complete list of currenct reactor status, your comments to date seem to suggest this isnt the case though. Being a resident in Tokyo I am obviously pretty concerned about this, can you post some links that you have read that prove other wise?

Quote from benwm:

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/78335.html

Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo

The following is the known status as of Tuesday evening of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, crippled by Friday's magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.

Fukushima No. 1

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, hydrogen explosion, seawater pumped in.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, damage to containment system, potential meltdown feared.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater pumped in, hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire caused possibly by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water level feared receding.

-- Reactor No. 5 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.

-- Reactor No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.

Fukushima No. 2

-- Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.

-- Reactor No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.