Pick a number, and that reactor is described as being near a meltdown. The news coverage coming out of Japan is even more confused when American media deciphers it. Hopefully hard facts come in soon…
Meltdown occurred according to Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency
URGENT: March 12 00:00 PST: Explosion at Nuclear Facility
VIDEO of explosion at nuke plant.
Reuters Live Earthquake News Feed
Several people appear to be injured at Fukushima nuclear plant – NHK
Walls and roof of a building at site destroyed by blast – NHK via Sky News
UPDATE: 22:50 PST: BREAKING NEWS: Pressure successfully released from Fukushima No. 1 reactor: agency
UPDATE: 21:47 PST: Meltdown underway at Reactor #1? http://twitter.com/#!/dicklp
Fukushima fuel cores are melting at 2000C and dropping onto steel floor. Steel melts at 1500C. Could still be brought under control, but Four other Fukushima nuke reactors are struggling with similar problem. If multiple meltdown begins, it will be uncontrollable.
Nuclear reactor coolant systems are running on batteries, and the coolant has reached the boiling point. Extremely critical situation currently at several earthquake affected nuclear reactors. Officials are concerned that a Three Mile Island 1979 meltdown could happen here. Reuters Link
From the LA Times:
Conditions appear to be worsening at a nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, according to local media.
The Kyodo news agency reported that the cooling system has failed at three reactors of Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant. The coolant water’s temperature had reached boiling temperature, the agency reported, citing the power plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power.
The cooling system failure at the No. 2 power plant came after officials were already troubled by the failure of the emergency cooling system at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, which officials feared could cause a meltdown.
Moving to 20Km because there going to use sea water and have never done this before.
Well if I was to do the maths I’d ban people living near the sea way before I’d ban nuclear power stations. Then there’d be folks living on floodplains, near volcanoes, driving cars and so on. Why is it that we forget basic numbers when it comes to nuclear power and get all hysterical?
“Government spokesman says the nuclear reactor container at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant has not been damaged, and the level of radiation has dropped following the explosion earlier on Saturday, AFP reports.” – BBC
http://twitter.com/#!/BBCWorld/status/46542532053708800
Some good news if true…
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/77149.html
URGENT: Explosion did not occur at Fukushima reactor: Edano
TOKYO, March 12, Kyodo
Japanese authorities have confirmed there was no explosion at the troubled No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, top government spokesman Yukio Edano said.
The chief Cabinet secretary also told an urgent press conference that the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., has confirmed there is no damage to the steel container housing the reactor.
==Kyodo
But we want to know what is going on at Fukushima II. How strange Yukio Edano doesn’t answer that question also.
Looks like it was a reactor building but the reactor may have been protected as radiation levels are now going down it seems. Note this is from the governement and in the past they have been rather economical with the truth, however hopefully things are past their worst.
Shows again that for all power generation there are pitfalls.
Andy
Kevin the northern site is Fukushima I not Fukushima II. NHK just put up the evac maps and shows which one is which. Also the Chief Cabinet Secretary has stated the explosion happened at Fukushima I which is the northern plant not Fukushima II
Here to help with the confusion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_Nuclear_Power_Plant
Coords for Fukushima I: 37°25′17″N 141°01′57″E
Coords for Fukushima II: 37°19′10″N 141°01′16″E
I was watching the interview of the Director General of Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Jukka Laaksonen, made yesterday. He was quite scathing on the electrical systems of old BWRs in Japan and the US. He called them “flimsy” and said that the Japanese had failed to carry out similar modernization as the the Europeans have done.
Laaksonen said he had visited the Japanese plants and US plants and that these problems had been pointed out to the Japanese and also to the Americans. The Japanese answer had been that the systems are good enough for them. Laaksonen remarked drily that perhaps the Japanese will listen to them now.
The video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4uogOEUrU to which the article referred is fascinating. The first 45 seconds shows the smoke spreading while the flotsam in the foreground are absolutely stationary. Dirty screen? Computer enhancement? Ultra slow motion? Trick photography? Any other solutions? Or did the sea really stay motionless?
Shevva says:
March 12, 2011 at 4:03 am
>>
Live from here :-
http://www.ustream.tv/news
Live press release – Wave took out cooling, they released pressured and the levels hit 1200 but lowered and is down to 70.5, the reactor is intact and the explosion was hydrogen build up.
live now.
>>
Yeah, a live video feed of a japanese watching TV, about as exciting a watching paint dry.
From time to time he translates something about an “arsequake”. Don’t know what he’s watching.
Much worse than the (slightly) alarmist coverage by most of the rolling news channels, was the dear old BBC, baring its ‘green’ credentials for all to see..
Who do they get to comment on the unfolding situation..? An engineer, say, from the UK’s Nuclear Inspectorate..?
Nah – a guy from Greenpeace..!! (I suspect he’d been on the phone to them, saying: ‘PLEASE let me comment on the nuclear disaster in Japan..’)
Letting someone from Greepeace loose on this subject is akin to letting an avowed vegetarian comment on eating red meat – they HATE nuclear power, and will do anything in their power to bad-mouth it. No wonder the guy looked really pleased with himself at the end of the interview – he and the BBC have probaly put the UK’s nuclear energy programme back five years – and rolling power cuts will become the norm….
Never forget 9/11 lies.
Study prevailing winds.
Traditional cooling not possible.
Containment has been breached.
Dishonest governments never tell the truth.
Corrupt controlled media never tell the truth.
“Nuclear reactor not damaged, explosion was from hydrogen containers.”
That’s good news (in a way…)
It’s also consistent with the comments upthread by those saying that the explosion appeared to come from the turbine hall.
The main usage for hydrogen on a power station (nuclear or conventional) is turbine stator cooling.
The only thing I find scary about all this is the endless abreactionary drivel I will have to put up with from the enviroloonies.
JOJO says:
March 12, 2011 at 4:02 am
>>
How does the radiation from a melt down in Japan stand up against radiation in bananas?
Can we have a follow up article comparing the two please?
>>
A melt down would have nothing to fear from bananas.
Tepco, the company that runs Fukushima reactors, seems to have safety culture issues:
Tepco president to step down following nuclear safety scandal
Published: Sep 3, 2002
3 September 2002 – Nobuya Minami is to leave his post as president of Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) in October after the utility admitted its safety reports on nuclear power plants were falsified.
http://www.powergenworldwide.com/index/display/articledisplay/153635/articles/power-engineering-international/business/tepco-president-to-step-down-following-nuclear-safety-scandal.html
Solomon Green, that sea full of flotsam in the foreground is stationary because it is land.
Andy
boballab says:
March 12, 2011 at 5:02 am
>>
Here to help with the confusion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_I_Nuclear_Power_Plant
>>
Yes, I’ve often found quoting wikipedia “helps with confusion” . That’s why I avoid using it as a reference.
From NHK World service:
The Chief Cabinet Secretary stated that the explosion at Fukushima I was not from the reactor vessel but was caused by the walls falling in and that Radiation levels have not risen from it. Also starting at 8pm Japan time they started using Seawater to cool the reactor core.
There is more speculation and hysteria than there are facts at this time.
At the end of it all, lets compare the relative direct human impact of the Tsunami and Dam break(s) and fires, with that from Radiation. So far, I understand that there was a hydrogen explosion; possibly related to the Turbine electrical end of things, as hydrogen is used for low windage in the generator.
Facts first please.
JG: “…when the pumps were tripped, and the plant blew up…”
No, as has been thoroughly documented more than 20 years ago, the steam blast occurred when the AZ5 reactor scram button was pressed and the reactor was shut down. The shutdown system injected positive reactivity into the reactor.
There’s still far too much speculation in this thread among people who should know better. The only reliable information comes here:
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html
And by the way; UCS, to me, stands for Union of Confused (or Crappy) Scientists.
Interesting to note how many people are pedalling their own personal views and not being logical, pragmatic or even, dare I say it, scientific about all of this. No wonder the debate on the global climate is such a mess. Also interesting to see how the conspiracy therorists get all agitated when something like this comes along. Personally I think it’s all a conspiracy, but I can’t tell you by who because they might be reading this (was that really sarc or not, only they can tell you!).
P. Solar says:
March 12, 2011 at 5:38 am
Shevva says:
March 12, 2011 at 4:03 am
He’s trying to translate the live government broadcasts into English as best he can, maybe give him a break?