Nuclear accident follows Japanese earthqauke

Post by **adam2** » 12 Mar 2011, 10:50

The evacuation zone has now been increased from 10KM to 20KM.

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 12 Mar 2011, 12:11

Experts saying it is probably not as disastrous as it looked, but have no details from the inside.

Factbox: Experts on explosion at Japan nuclear plant and on Bbc news channel.

Post by **adam2** » 12 Mar 2011, 14:55

Totally_Baffled wrote:
clv101 wrote:Video of explosion: http://www.twitvid.com/LICNU
Holy crap - does this mean that radioactive material is being spread all over the place?

Yes, but hopefully only slightly radioactive.
The material escaping is probably mainly steam and water with minor radioactive contamination.
If however the inner containment of the reactor has been breached, then highly radioactive materials could be released.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 12 Mar 2011, 16:58

So, what do we learn?

Don't use nuclear power.
If you do, don't build in an earthquake zone.
If you do, don't build on a tsunami-prone seaside.
Make sure the emergency cooling system works, even in an emergency.
Make sure the reactor is fail-safe in a power cut.
Provide back up generators that work when they are needed.
Provide enough battery power in case emergency generators don't work in an emergency.
When you bring in a back-up generator on a lorry to back-up the failed emergency systems remember to bring a connecting cable that fits.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 12 Mar 2011, 17:37

Costing the Earth bloke weighs in.

...it may takes months, even years, for the full picture to emerge.

How that happens depends in large part on the approach taken by Tepco and Japan's nuclear authorities.

As with its counterparts in many other countries, Japan's nuclear industry has not exactly been renowned for openness and transparency.

Tepco itself has been implicated in a series of cover-ups down the years.

In 2002, the chairman and four other executives resigned, suspected of having falsified safety records at Tepco power stations.

Further examples of falsification were identified in 2006 and 2007.

In the longer term, Fukushima Daiichi raises several more very big questions, inside and outside Japan.

Post by **clv101** » 12 Mar 2011, 21:29

it's interesting to see how information gets out. The Deepwater Horizon accident was a good example, the initial information was orders of magnitude off what turned out to be the case.

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 12 Mar 2011, 23:18

Reuters - 12/03/11

A quake-hit Japanese nuclear plant reeling from an explosion at one of its reactors has also lost its emergency cooling system at another reactor, Japan's nuclear power safety agency said on Sunday.

The emergency cooling system is no longer functioning at the No.3 reactor at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility, requiring the facility to urgently secure a means to supply water to the reactor, an official of the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told a news conference.

BBC News - 12/03/11

An estimated 170,000 people have been evacuated from the area around a quake-damaged nuclear power station in north-east Japan that was hit by an explosion, the UN atomic watchdog says.

Article continues ...

RGR · Post by **RGR** » 13 Mar 2011, 04:43

clv101 wrote:it's interesting to see how information gets out. The Deepwater Horizon accident was a good example, the initial information was orders of magnitude off what turned out to be the case.

Thats because of the 3 people who knew what was happening early on, none of THEM were talking to the media.

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 13 Mar 2011, 07:23

Hindustan Times - 13/03/11

Japan's top government spokesman on Sunday warned of the risk of a second explosion at the quake-hit Fukushima nuclear plant, but said that reactor three could withstand it as reactor one did a day earlier. "There is the possibility of an explosion in the third reactor, as in the case of the first reactor," chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano told a televised press conference -- adding that the reactor would survive and that there would be no effect on the health of nearby residents.

Article continues ...

Hindustan Times - 13/03/11

At least 15 people have been admitted to hospital with symptoms of radiation poisoning after a devastating earthquake damaged Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, Kyodo news agency said on Sunday. A blast ripped through Number One reactor of the plant on Saturday, destroying the building, but leav
ing the nuclear reactor itself undamaged, according to official Japanese reports.

Article continues ...

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 13 Mar 2011, 09:07

Cuddly nukes coming to your backyard soon.

Officials checked for signs of radiation on children from the evacuation area near the Fukushima Daini nuclear plant in Koriyama.

Japanese Scramble to Avert Meltdowns as Nuclear Crisis Deepens After Quake

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 13 Mar 2011, 09:41

nexus wrote: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?

+1. Unfortunately, the Japanese seem to be very keen on nuclear power plants:

Ippoippo · Post by **Ippoippo** » 13 Mar 2011, 09:47

Aurora wrote:
nexus wrote: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?
+1. Unfortunately, the Japanese seem to be very keen on nuclear power plants:

Because, whether rightly or wrongly, during the 1970's oil-shocks Japan needed to build non oil/gas powered electricity stations. The choice was either Nuke or Coal.
Neither are that great really.

One would hope that this is a great incentive to push forwards with renewables there though wind won't have as good a potential as we have here in the UK. That said, they can gain more from Solar.

2 As and a B · Post by **2 As and a B** » 13 Mar 2011, 10:21

How about geothermal? Don't they have a lot of underground heat in Japan, being above the subduction zone - or do they have too much underground heat - danger of inducing volcanic activity?

They have a lot of wood, but they choose to conserve it and import wood from abroad instead.

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 13 Mar 2011, 10:22

That's funny - all the nukes are on the coast. Isn't 'tsumani' a Japanese word?

Aurora · Post by **Aurora** » 13 Mar 2011, 11:10

Latest: Japan nuclear reactor in partial meltdown

See: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7feb0aaa-4d3d ... z1GTbuCng1