No guarantee the pumps will work. I'm not sure how reliable they are in situations like this (can they hold up to explosions, natural disasters, etc.). But if they work, this probably would be the "magic bullet". The whole problem is that they can't circulate the water that is around the core of these reactors (and so heat and pressure is building up). If the pumps can circulate water, that should allow the heat to dissipate and for the pressure to drop, eventually leading to a "cold shutdown" I imagine. I think there are also pumps for the spent fuel pools, which can be used to prevent the evaporation that is occurring there (can also maybe add some water back to the pools). As long as all these rods are kept cool and covered in water, things should stabilize pretty quickly (see other reactors that didn't have problems with their pumps). Probably don't have to bury any of the reactors (might even be worse/less safe than alternatives?). Guessing they'll follow what they did with TMI, once things stabilize a bit. Though some aspects of cleanup might be more trouble that it is worth. #5 and #6 could possibly still be used (maybe some of the others), but probably would be best to just scrap the whole plant. And build, newer, safer reactors. And stick the diesel fuel tanks underground. Speaking of which, I believe I read some comments from some US official involved with nuclear safety, and I believe he stated that all tanks in the US are stored underground, due to the exact risk of what happened at this plant. That's good to know. (I can try to find that source again if anyone is interested...it was a day or two ago, so don't have it handy). I don't know if it is all coming from the same source, but stories like this: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/18/us-japan-chernobyl-idUKTRE72H2QG20110318 Seem a bit of an overreaction. Turns into: While not 100% inaccurate (it would be a last resort), it is too early to worry about that. And it isn't without its own dangers/complexities. Another reason why I'm ignoring reports from them, and sticking to sites like NEI, IAEA, etc., for updated information. Things also sound pretty good in the last 12-24 hours or so (or there is a lack of bad news anyway). Latest update from NEI: http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/ Surprised that it sounds like all the containment structures intact (earlier reports indicated possible damage to #2 IIRC). Also, while the helicopter idea didn't work so well, maybe the ground crews did a better job? Thought I read that radiation levels dropped a bit (though maybe a coincidence), and afterall, they seem to keep doing it (why do it if it doesn't work?). At least the helicopters allowed them to get visual information about the units (e.g., water in the pool of #4).
You can be assured that Japan is not going to be building any new reactors for at least a generation.
Chinese hoarding salt over radiation fears. http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/18/6294237-chinese-hoard-salt-out-of-radiation-fears- Chinese hoard salt out of radiation fears BEIJING – China is in the midst of a salt rush. Despite the Chinese government’s effort to educate the population and reassure them they will not be exposed to radiation from the nuclear plant in northern Japan, many fearful Chinese have come to believe baseless rumors that the iodine in salt could save them from radiation sickness – so they are hoarding iodized salt. The frantic buying has left grocery shelves empty of salt in China’s coastal provinces, just across the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea from Japan. But the panic is spreading quickly westwards to the country’s inland where salt sales are catching up at a crazy speed. “April Gourmet,” a chain supermarket frequented by Beijing’s expatriate community, told NBC News that its salt supply was sold out as of Thursday morning. “I’m not sure when we’ll have salt again because our suppliers’ stocks have been sold out, too and now the price is higher. Even the soy sauce is sold out by customers who worry they won’t have salt for cooking,” Ms. Zhao, a public relations manager for the store said in a phone interview. “Merry Mart,” another big Chinese supermarket chain favored by older Beijingers, also reported that all the salt was sold out. The spike in demand may be due to the misunderstanding of reports that note the thyroid gland is susceptible to radioactive iodine – just one of several types of radiation that could be produced by the crippled reactors – and that potassium iodide tablets can block the radioactive iodine if taken before exposure. Salt containing iodine, however, would not shield against the radiation, medical experts say, adding that there was no reason for alarm in China, which is thousands of miles away from the damaged reactors. On Taobao.com, China’s largest online business-to-business platform, some sellers from coastal provinces are even promoting their products by advertising, “Buy one, get one bag of salt free.” On the Sina microblog, a Twitter-like message sharing site, “salt” has become the most frequently discussed word and people from all over the country are reporting on how the panic buying has caused shortages in their hometowns. Meantime, nuclear scientists have repeatedly explained on TV that even if a nuke explosion did take place, the level of radiation that could spread to China’s coastal cities would be diluted to a minor extent and simply taking salt would not help preventing damage. Fang Zhouzi, a Beijing-based scientist famous for educating the public about scientific facts, wrote in his microblog that “you’d have to take 5-13 pounds of salt to have enough iodine to resist the radiation.” The Chinese government has also set-up telephone hotlines and web sites that address the public’s concerns about possible radioactivity from Japan. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's economic policy agency, has also warned consumers about price gauging and has encouraged them not to give into the fear mongering. "Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors, and don't panic buy," said the NDRC in an emailed statement, Reuters reported. Still, the Chinese government’s education efforts seem to have done very little to deter people’s determination to hoard salt. News keep pouring in about how salt is sold out everywhere, and the China Salt Industry Corp., China’s biggest state-owned salt producer, continues to promise citizens a stable market will be back soon and that therea are ample reserves. Meantime, China announced on Wednesday that it will readjust and amend mid- and long-term development plans for nuclear power. The State Council announced that approval for all new nuclear power plants, including those in preliminary development, will be temporarily suspended until safety standards are revised and strengthened.
These videos still blow my mind. <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PHA-xVhcN3o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Not sure whether I'm should to be laughing or serious. (not about the tragedy, but Chinese buying salt).
People in California doing the same thing. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/18/potassium-iodide-sold-out-us
Well, yes, if possible. Most of the reactors are built on that side I think. Though even if they must rebuild in approximately the same area, that's fine with me as long they use newer designs and follow better protocol (notice other reactor in the area didn't really have much of a problem). If they just had their fuel tanks underground, this probably wouldn't have been a story. They better get used to frequent blackouts and/or high energy prices if that is the case (also, say goodbye to being a major power in the world). This plant has 6 reactors, and another 2 were in the works (maybe to replace the ones that were about to be decommissioned). So that's energy from 8 reactors now lost. Looking through some Wikipedia pages, several other plants were planning on having new reactors in the next 10 years or so. And hopefully some of the older (and less safe) reactors will be shutting down soon. A lot of energy to makeup, and I wouldn't be surprised if energy demands in Japan increased in the next ~30 years. If they don't build new reactors, that will be a problem. Japan can't really get much energy from other sources, so they MUST get some energy from nuclear plants. If they refuse to build any new reactors in the next ~30 years, that will be a problem unless they can somehow find some other miracle energy source (maybe fusion could do it, but that's way too far away, and possibly not even possible in a commercial application). And ironically, if they're concerned about building new reactors due to the possible danger of nuclear energy, this will actually make things MORE dangerous since older reactors will have to remain open to supply power to the country (and that's a bad thing...no reason to have 30-40+ year old reactors IMO, especially given the advances we've made). Japan probably has been pretty good about nuclear technology, but imagine if they were even more supportive of nuclear technology? Perhaps all reactors older than 30 years would all be decommissioned, and, again, this could have been prevented. Fortunately, I think the people of Japan are a little more sensible about nuclear technology. This will certainly put some doubts in there mind, but I think they realize the situation much better than other countries (of course, they haven't had to deal with as much of the horrible reporting either). I'm sure they'll review their policies and make some changes. But hopefully they don't make the same mistake the US made after TMI. Pretty much everyone is doing it I think. Think I saw similar reports from Europe too (Sweden?). Pretty sad. edit: Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the PlayStation Store is now accepting donations. You also get theme for donating: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/03/18/japan-tsunami-appeal-on-psn/ Several other game companies have also been pretty good at donating (Nintendo gave quite a bit, Sega-Sammy, Koei, etc.).
Would be nice for paying bills. But nope. Only became interested in this in the last 7 days (search any old threads involving nuclear energy, and I doubt I posted in them). But I do think the answer is pretty clear if you do the research. The stance the US took towards nuclear energy after TMI was definitely wrong, and it is a shame things happened like that. Every reactor in the US (all 100+ of them) broke ground around 1974 or earlier. I'm sure some have had some upgrades, but that doesn't really make me feel good, given how much safer newer reactors are (plus better efficiency, cheaper, less waste, etc). Guess we could have killed that by overreacting even more and shutting down all of them, but clearly that wouldn't have worked. Plus that decision ends up causing the US to rely more on oil, coal, natural gas, and all the other nasty alternatives to generating energy, which have (AFAIK) killed/injured/impacted the environment dramatically more than nuclear energy. I basically don't like any of those "dirty" energy sources. I'd prefer switching over to renewable energy (solar, wind, geothermal, etc), but don't think they're quite ready (though wind does seem useful in certain instances...would definitely support those initiatives). I'd love a breakthrough in fusion tech (can't you tell ), which would likely solve the world's energy problems, but I think we'll have to rely on existing technology for a bit longer. If the choice is building more coal/oil/gas plants or building more nuclear plants, I think the choice is clear.
given that the japanese have a uniquely tragic history with nuclear radiation, i really do see them making economic sacrifices as a whole in order to phase out nuclear power going forward. in fact, it's plausible that any pro-nuclear japanese may feel too guilty now to even openly voice their opinion on the subject. that's just how japanese culture is - there's a real sensitivity to offending anyone at all. especially if there is going to be any sort of permanent exclusion zone in fukushima prefecture. that would essentially serve as a block to any new reactors being built in the country.
If they look at it rationally and find that the bark was much worse than the bite they will. People are just too scared of radiation. How about coal miners died of black lung, lack of oxygen or explosions. How about offshore oil workers die on explosions or accidents. this plant is decades old and won't go Chernobyl. Nuclear is still the safest.
The people in California seem to be hoarding potassium iodide.... the ones in China seem to be hoarding.... Morton's table salt. lol.
Almost 30% of Japan's power comes from nuclear power plants, can you imagine the impact on global energy if they did away with that?
Especially when they find the alternative to nuclear energy isn't that great, i.e. an even higher reliance on foreign sources of energy. Then theres the fact that the alternatives will have a lot more carbon emissions.
I don't believe the death toll is that low. From the destruction I've seen... that just looks like a low number.
Right argument, wrong rationale. Nuclear energy is still the best option but you're wrong about fearing radiation. The correct argument is that 95% of the US has 0% chance for a 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that could wreck a plant. Additionally a lot of US reactors (including reactors with the same design as the plant hit in Japan) have underground backup generators that would avoid anything like a tsunami. Furthermore American Mark I reactors have been upgraded by GE after earlier criticisms of the containment design. Also, Japan had a terrible reputation when it comes to nuclear safety and I havent read anything that indicts the US nuclear regulatory commission in the same way. But to say radiation doesnt matter is absurd. It wont go Chernobyl (Chernobyl was literally an explosion as opposed to a meltdown) but if its a full meltdown it will literally permanently ruin the ground around the plant as well as poison the air around it. That's not ok and considering how close a city like Tokyo is to the plant, that's absolutely a legitimate fear. Modern nuclear power plants are safe and I still fully support it but dont deride fears of radiation in Japan. Now Americans that are freaking out, they are overreacting. But I'd be scared if I was in Tokyo. A plant on the verge of meltdown that close to your city is not something you can just ignore.
As good of a story that would be, apparently it is inaccurate. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79523.html Original article: http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79519.html Also, found this to be an interesting way to learn about nuclear power plants: http://esa21.kennesaw.edu/activities/nukeenergy/nuke.htm A simulator that has you try to maximize energy production while maintaining safety at the plant (plus little to no damage if possible). Have to manager control rods, primary coolant, secondary coolant, etc.
