Reports are mixed on how bad this really is but it is scary. I work in the shadow of Three Mile Island every day so this is something never far from my mind.
I will not use this post to make any kind of statement Pro or Con on the subject of nuclear power. I am however quite concerned for the local citizens as I clearly recall those frightening days of March and April 1979 as well as Chernobyl 25 years ago.
I hope they can get the coolant flowing again and keep the core quenched to prevent a meltdown or explosion. Some of the reports are encouraging. It seems the Japanese engineers learned form our mistakes or at least I hope so.
It got worse through the night. Video of an explosion of a building at the plant, some reports of the walls and roof of the containment facility collapsing. Radiation levels at least 20 times higher than normal, Japanese army called in and the evacuation area being expanded rapidly. Fox and CNN experts think there is a strong likely hood that the reactor is in a Three Mile Island type of meltdown. By any measure it is the worst accident in Japanese history. The plant was compromised by the quake and then swept through by the tsunami.
There are also reports that a second plant has had it’s cooling system damaged as well. It may also be in trouble.
I am fortunate to be able to travel some. There are many nuclear electrical producing plants around the world. The USA is way behind in using this technology. And the number of dangerous incidences are minimal.
From what I am hearing, the quake in Japan is the fifth largest in history. My heart sure goes out to the people of that country and their losses. We all hope that the do not suffer any more.
Sunday evening 8:40 PM CNN just reported that a Volcano errupts in Japan on the Island of Kyushu. They are not sure if it is a result of the earthquake. These poor people…enough is enough.
I understand that this is a Three Mile Island type of incident so fallout and radioactive contamination will be limited to the containment buildings of the other two reactors at that facility that are in danger.
As for the one that exploded well first we need to realize that it is not a nuclear “explosion” like we get from an atomic bomb. This is what happens or at least happened at TMI:
It should also be noted that the human operators at TMI ignored multiple alarms, had a faulty indicator, had a vital warning lite covered up and could not get through to the NRC for emergency help. TMI was totally avoidable or so some claim.
If one is to believe the Japanese government and the press then the fallout will not affect a large area like Chernobyl did.
Here is something that got my attention. The expert on the Bob Brinker show Money Talk on WHP580 am talk radio today was from Lawrence Livermore Labs I think. Regardless he brought up the point of redundancy in the backup systems. He stated that most American plants have at least 4 cooling system backups and that the reason TMI happened was the operators ignored the system warnings. The system worked until the operators intervened. Now he said that the Japanese reactors only have two cooling system back ups. He drove home the points that the quake only damaged the system and it immediately shut down. The tsunami however is the culprit that destroyed the backup diesel generators that were now needed to generate power for the cooling system. His opinion was that the Japanese knew they were building these things in a tsunami zone and therefore should have had an emergency backup plan in place to airlift in via helicopter the new generators along with other repair supplies.
His whole point was that like TMI the human error caused a situation that should have been easily controlled to go out of control. Take his opinion as just that. His opinion.
Jet stream information would be good to have if anyone has a link with credible
info please post…
Though this would be (hopefully) short term by way of the jet , to be able to get out of the way
for that duration would be good…
Please lets not turn this into a long winded nuclear dissertation ---- just the facts about the jet stream so those that may be able to get out of harms way may do so in advance…
Be safe
Thank you
Steve
FYI- not an expert just have some common sense about it…
( Washington Hanford, FFTF reactor safety team member 1977-79)
PS:
I am not an alarmist and by no means wish anything but the best outcome and from some earlier Reuters
reporters it sounds like things were simmering down at the reactor site yesterday, but we all know the news record
and of course the tremendous chaos in Japan dose not make it any more accurate…
Only the best outcome is in my heart for Japan and it’s fine people …
Steve,
Facts like that are a little tough to come by right now as the officials seem to be trying to downplay this event. On the way to the doctor this morning I heard on the radio that there has indeed been a second explosion from one of the other containment facilities at that plant.
The only thing I can tell you is that if the explosive force is sufficient enough to loft particles to the altitude of the jet stream then yes we could see the west coast of the United States impacted. There is no way to know for certain at this point because we just aren’t being told enough to make that determination. The officials themselves may not know.
I do know that the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Regan was in the area and steamed away this morning due to an increase in radiation that her gear detected.
As far as a dissertation on nuclear power the best way to put fears to rest is through knowledge. This post hasn’t gone either pro or con but learning from TMI and Chernobyl are vital especially since it is obvious that nuclear power is here to stay. Remember those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
as per nighthawk: The United States has the most operating reactors at 104. France is next with 58.
Just a few comparisons :
France is about 211,209 square miles that would be one reactor per 3,642 square miles
France has an estimated population os 60,742,000 or one reactor per 104,730 people
US is about 3,537,441 square miles or one reactor per 34,014 square miles
US has a estimated population of 307,212,123 or about one reactor per 2,953,970 people
So it looks like France is providing this technology better than the USA - It looks like we should have about 580 operating reactors compared to them.
Now that being said, this is a disaster not caused by reacters but by mother nature. Japan has devastation that will take years to recover from. It will most likely take months before most of this devastation is recognized. The whole world will be affected in some way by this. Again my heart and prayers go out to this nation.
You really have to feel it for all those poor souls. Makes you realize how powerful the earth is in relation to what man can do.
That said, you do really have to question the wisdom of putting nuclear powerplants 80 miles from an active major fault on the ocean facing the potential danger. I am not aware of any functioning reactors in a similar situation in Washington or Oregon. But hindsight is always 20/20.
God save those poor souls especially the children…
The Japanese are not dummies, and do not put people at risk with sub-quality engineering. I would keep in mind that much of the news out there is “ginned” up to make sales. The Japanese need our thoughts and prayers right now, and do not need any distractions. FWIW, and I am not any sort of an expert concerning nuclear power, I understand much that has happened so far is as planned. The idea is to control the meltdown, but the meltdown will be contained.
The only thing I have posted here is what the press is releasing and some other experts, of which I am not one, have discussed. That was a good read and quite accurate as far as I know, which isn’t much, but I remind you that anything man made can and will eventually fail. I also note that he failed to mention anything about an increase in radiation detected by the U.S.S. Regan causing her to steam out of the area but the validity of that is questionable too as it is also a press release.
Is there such a thing as the “China Syndrome”? It is my understanding that is Hollywood sensationalism. Was the Japanese design flawed? Yes. Was their backup plan flawed? Yes Were people irradiated? Yes but I probably received more radiation form my spine X-Rays prior to the MRI. The problem for them is though the radiation is gone the damage is done but that is another issue.
I will repeat that his is a TMI type event and not a Chernobyl event due to the construction of the facility.
Like I said I just reported what was put out there by the press. If they have the situation under control that is great but either the press didn’t put out everything they knew or there are certain things they were not told from the start. I sometimes think that the press and the experts are opposite sides of the same coin with reality somewhere in between. It is up to you and I to find that reality.
By the way here is TMI today. Select the Bird’s Eye View:
Jet stream information would be good to have if anyone has a link with credible
info please post…
Though this would be (hopefully) short term by way of the jet , to be able to get out of the way
for that duration would be good…
Please lets not turn this into a long winded nuclear dissertation ---- just the facts about the jet stream so those that may be able to get out of harms way may do so in advance…
Be safe
Thank you
Steve
FYI- not an expert just have some common sense about it…
( Washington Hanford, FFTF reactor safety team member 1977-79)
PS:
I am not an alarmist and by no means wish anything but the best outcome and from some earlier Reuters
reporters it sounded like things were simmering down at the reactor site but current events are not good, and the fact
is we all know the news record and of course the tremendous chaos in Japan dose not make the reporting any more accurate.
Only the best outcome is in my heart and soul for Japan and it’s fine people …
You bet and they got them too. My first permanent party unit in the Army had a Japanese born First Sergeant. He is a survivor of the Hiroshima bomb. He became a U.S. citizen after his mom moved him along with his siblings to the U.S. post W.W.II He served in Vietnam. Top was an outstanding soldier and really loves this nation! I miss him very badly. A very Honorable man. Here’s to you Top Soldier Yamasee where ever you are!
Many Prayers to the people of Japan. Comforting to know the the good old U.S.A. with here military have been there from the start of this too. The press never talks about the tremendous humanitarian effort constantly put forth by our military during natural disasters.
Jet stream information would be good to have if anyone has a link with credible
info please post…
Though this would be (hopefully) short term by way of the jet , to be able to get out of the way
for that duration would be good…
Please lets not turn this into a long winded nuclear dissertation ---- just the facts about the jet stream so those that may be able to get out of harms way may do so in advance…
Be safe
Thank you
Steve
FYI- not an expert just have some common sense about it…
( Washington Hanford, FFTF reactor safety team member 1977-79)
Only the best outcome is in my heart and soul for Japan and it’s fine people …
the link had been off line all day yesterday, don’t know why but seem to be working now…
to say again:
I am not an alarmist and by no means wish anything but the best outcome and from some earlier Reuters
reporters it sounded like things were simmering down at the reactor site but current events are not good, and the fact
is we all know the news record and of course the tremendous chaos in Japan dose not make the reporting any more accurate.
Only the best outcome is in my heart and soul for Japan and it’s fine people …
Live within 10 miles of the Vernon, VT reactor and often wonder/worry about safety. Three mile island, Japan, Chernoble and other incidents all happened for different reasons. All are explainable, but in the end accidents do happen. My fear is not of the nuclear explolsion but of the radiation leaking as we are seeing in Japan now. Daily we hear about new small leaks from the Vernon reactor and frankly I am not confident that we can control this forever. I think that all energy methods have draw backs. Hydro dams prevent our fish from spawning, wind power is often in the flight pattern of migratory birds… What we need to do is use less and I do wish our collective wills would push this issue.
All in all my heart goes out to those in Japan. I cannot imagine a country that would suffer more from a nuclear disaster. I know how ever present the issues of nuclear disaster were in Japan based on the results of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.