Nuclear accident follows Japanese earthqauke

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 12 Mar 2011, 08:32

TroubledTimes wrote:I am an advocate of nuclear energy, but if this turns into a full scale nuclear accident, the future will look very bleak. This will do to the nuclear industry what Deepwater Horizon did for deep sea drilling.

More akin to Chernobyl, I think. If it does turn out that way, it might well carry a cloud of radioactivity over to north America. What if that were to be dumped on the Prairies? And further on, on northern Europe? What price food then? (May be good for biofuels though.)

Latest news

Japan quake: Nuclear meltdown feared at Fukushima reactor

Japanese officials fear a meltdown at a nuclear power plant hit by Friday's earthquake after radioactive material was detected outside it.

Japan's nuclear agency said this meant fuel from one of the reactor's cores may have started melting.

Japanese media reported an explosion and smoke at one of the Fukushima plants.

A huge relief operation is under way after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami, which killed more than 400.

Another 784 people are missing.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan declared a state of emergency at the Fukushima 1 and 2 power plants as engineers try to confirm whether a reactor at one of the stations has gone into meltdown.

Cooling systems inside several reactors at the plants stopped working after Friday's earthquake cut the power supply.

Japan's nuclear agency said on Saturday that radioactive caesium and iodine had been detected near the number one reactor of the Fukushima 1 plant.

The agency said this may indicate that containers of uranium fuel inside the reactor may have begun melting.

Air has been released from several of the reactors at both plants in an effort to relieve the huge amount of pressure building up inside.

Mr Kan said the amount of radiation released was "tiny".

Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate the area near the plants.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219

12 March 2011 Last updated at 08:04

That's not the latest (it is from the Bbc, taken from newswires) - latest is that people were hurt in that explosion.

BTW, that Bbc reporter was stopped 60km, not 50km, away from the Fukushima plant.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 08:36

Ippoippo wrote:We are watching NHK now (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv).
Japanese language link I'm afraid.

English translation at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/yokosonews

and here's NHK in English
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/index.html

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 12 Mar 2011, 08:37

clv101 wrote:Video of explosion: http://www.twitvid.com/LICNU

Complete with French snort of disbelief, et "merd"!

This is now being described on Bbc news (always behind the times) as a "partial meltdown". Doesn't that just mean the start of a complete meltdown?

Who was here who was saying that nuclear power is safe nowadays, that accidents aren't possible?

Ludwig · Post by **Ludwig** » 12 Mar 2011, 08:43

foodimista wrote: Who was here who was saying that nuclear power is safe nowadays, that accidents aren't possible?

I don't think anyone was saying either of those things, merely that it's the lesser of two evils.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 08:52

The actual explosion appears 46 seconds into this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4uogOE ... e=youtu.be

Post by **clv101** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:01

biffvernon wrote:The actual explosion appears 46 seconds into this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4uogOE ... e=youtu.be

Not what you want to see at a broken nuclear power station.

Post by **adam2** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:02

biffvernon wrote:The actual explosion appears 46 seconds into this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg4uogOE ... e=youtu.be

Nuclear power plants are not permitted to explode.
What is shown on the video is an "unplanned pressure release" which is the approved term for such events.

ziggy12345 · Post by **ziggy12345** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NNOrp_83RU

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:05

I remember now. It was Domi.

http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/vie ... 961&#90961

Surely the last thing to lose electricity would be a nuclear power station?
Being that it generates it?

So the reaction would carry on until it simply ran out of power, the control systems would then kick in on power failure and shut it down properly, if, not completely.

Any failure is unlikely to be an explosive one, chenobyl was only such a disaster because the people there activly stopped some of the passive safety systems, having misdiagnosed the problem.
A leak, although bad, would be "localised" on land and spread down towards the sea, which, although bad for fish and anyone eating them, isnt going to wipe out the survivors.

No doubt such people will continue to chant their "nuclear power is safe in all eventualities" mantra.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:20

The poor bloke attempting to give a simultaneous translation at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/yokosonews is having a lot of trouble working out how to pronounce micro-sievert, let alone understanding what it means

nexus · Post by **nexus** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:25

Why build nuclear reactors in one of the most earthquake prone areas of the world?

How could you build a reactor to withstand a massive quake like the one yesterday?

It just doesn't make sense. WTF were the authorities and engineers thinking?

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:38

nexus wrote:Why build nuclear reactors?

Good question. Something to do with people's insatiable greed for more and more stuff and a poor comprehension of what the consequent risks are?

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 12 Mar 2011, 09:39

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/20 ... e-coverage

NHK is advising people in the Fukushima area to stay inside, close doors and windows and turn off air conditioning. They have also been advised to cover their mouths with masks, towels or handkerchiefs.

Looks like a chernobyl to me.

nexus · Post by **nexus** » 12 Mar 2011, 10:19

Russia Today:

http://rt.com/news/nuclear-plant-japan-tsunami/

the Japanese reactor is one hundred times more powerful than the one in the fourth block of the Chernobyl power plant, which exploded in 1986. In fact, the two stations in the Fukushima region produce the world’s largest joint amount of energy.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 10:31

Fukushima was 4.7 GW with 2 more units of 1.4GW planned for completion in 2013 and 2014.

Maybe plans will change.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_ ... ower_Plant