[DrCaleb]

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

I've seen pictures of the spent fuel rod pool. The rods have a blue glow around them from the intense radiation. This lasts for a couple of years after which they can be moved to air cooled storage. My Uncle worked for AECL and he say the rods are "a piss pot of heat".

Isn't that cool?!

[Brenda]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Brenda Brenda:

Ok, that makes sense, but that still does not explain to me why the most important thing of a nuclear reactor is (except for water) a containment chamber for when it goes wrong.

Why do you have airbags in your car? Same reason. You can't get a car with airbags during an accident. You also have to build a reactor with the worst possible scenario in mind.

Oh definitely, but my confusion came from the fact that I didn't understand why pouring concrete in it now would be no good because of contamination, but when it's all melted, it is ok. Now I do. Thanks!

$1:

Brenda Brenda:

I mean, when they melt, they are not spent, right? But they will melt in a concrete containment chamber, while that doesnt mean it won't leak. Because what you tell me, is that radiation leaks through concrete...

Why did they throw concrete over the Chernobyl disaster then? If it is not good enough? Is there nothing else?

We are talking two different things here. The rods in reactors 1-3 are not 'spent', they are fully viable. The rods in reactor 4 are 'spent', from all the years the plant has been in operation. Without cooling, the rods in reactors 1-3 will produce enough heat to turn the uranium metal in to liquid. Reactor 4 might as well, but that's because of the huge volume of rods there. They are encased in pellets of ceramic to hopefully prevent the liquid from escaping, but they could produce enough heat to also melt the ceramic. In which case, they would hit the floor of the containment chamber and spread out, and cool. The containment chamber would hold them long term, and without contaminating the surrounding environment.

Nuclear reactors produce heat by bringing bits of radioactive uranium close together, and letting them heat each other up. Remove them from close proximity, and they will cool and emit less radiation. That's why the floor of the containment chamber is so large. Take a glass of boiling water, and dump it on your kitchen floor, and see how quick it cools compared to one sitting on the counter. That is the purpose of the containment chamber. Filling the cores with concrete would prevent the rods melting all over the floor and would keep all the radiation from escaping anywhere far away, but they would still produce all that heat and radiation until they are 'spent'. The local environment would be screwed, but the West coast of North America would be 'safe'.

THAT makes sense. Thanks for explaining

[DrCaleb]

No trouble Bren.

[martin14]

Daily report, not much has changed.

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_imag ... 33768P.pdf

[martin14]

TEPCO has confirmed the presence of US military personnel at the plant.

$1:

At 2:00 pm, March 18th , water discharge by fire engine has started with
the cooperation of Self-Defense Forces and Military of United States of
America. At 2:45 pm, March 18th , they had finished water discharge.
At 0:45 am, March 19th , water discharge by hyper rescue troop has
started with the cooperation of Tokyo Fire Department. At 1:10 am, March
19th , they had finished water discharge.

[DrCaleb]

Power cable successfully attached at Fukushima plant

[Bruce_the_vii]

Awwwwww

[martin14]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Power cable successfully attached at Fukushima plant

A long extension cord.

If it works, but looking at the buildings, there's another day or two
of jury-rigging.

And then I wonder how well electricity will mix with the chlorine gas
from the seawater.

[Scape]

Efforts to cool reactors continue in Japan nuke crisis

$1:

TEPCO said that "it is not impossible to encase the reactors in concrete. But our priority right now is to try and cool them down first." A power cable will be attached to two of the reactors, which have been without power for days now, in the hopes the water pumps can start working again and cool the fuel rods down. They're hopeful power can be restored by Sunday to the No.3 and No.4 reactors, which are the least-damaged of the lot

[DrCaleb]

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

Awwwwww

So, you were hoping for a meltdown? That's pretty cold.

[raydan]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

Awwwwww

So, you were hoping for a meltdown? That's pretty cold.

I thought a meltdown was hot...


...I'm having a lot of problems following along.

[Bruce_the_vii]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

Awwwwww

So, you were hoping for a meltdown? That's pretty cold.

I meant it as some relief. The Japanese situation is so, so sad. It something. I'm following this thread all day.

[DerbyX]

raydan raydan:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Bruce_the_vii Bruce_the_vii:

Awwwwww

So, you were hoping for a meltdown? That's pretty cold.

I thought a meltdown was hot...


...I'm having a lot of problems following along.

Gotta get with the slang old man. Real cool daddio.

[EyeBrock]

martin14 martin14:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Power cable successfully attached at Fukushima plant

A long extension cord.

If it works, but looking at the buildings, there's another day or two
of jury-rigging.

And then I wonder how well electricity will mix with the chlorine gas
from the seawater.

Jerry-rigging?

[ShepherdsDog]

no.2 could probably be made safer, but 1, 3 (and possibly 4) are so radioactive that getting that close to repair or replace the pumps is an ensured death sentence for those who attempt to do so. They need to get 5 and 6 up and running to cool them downas well.