Massive Quake Hits NE Japan

[Docfeelgood]

nm. I don't think you will ever be able to grasp the point.

Henny Penny, also known as Chicken Licken or Chicken Little, is a fable in the form of a cumulative tale about a chicken who believes the world is coming to an end. The phrase The sky is falling! features promininently in the story, and has passed into the English language as a common idiom indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent.

I'll move on.

I'm amused that it bothers you so much at what I post, flattered actually.
Why does it bother you?
I never said the world was going to end. My simple thinking is hard for you to understand? I'm not the one scared.

[Wezil]

I'm not bothered. I find it a curious defect.

[Docfeelgood]

I'm not bothered. I find it a curious defect.

same

[The Mad Monk]

Speaking of incredibly bad taste...

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/03/12/family-guy-writer-tweets-pearl-harbor-joke-in-response-to-japanese-earthquake/

...what's really shocking to me is that he isn't the only one.

[Docfeelgood]

I heard on the news they found a 60 year old man floating on debris 9 miles off the coast. Lucky!

[Docfeelgood]

TOKYO — Japanese officials struggled on Sunday to contain a widening nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, saying they presumed that partial meltdowns had occurred at two crippled reactors and that they were facing serious cooling problems at three more.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/wo...l?pagewanted=1


New York Times, fact or fiction? All you experts please feel free to give us the truth.

[Docfeelgood]

Credibility Schism Developing In Japan

Contrary to earlier reports that cooling at Reactor 3 at Fukushima has failed (as per CNN and Reuters) and there is now a state of emergency for three reactors at the site, the IAEA has released a report refuting these rumors. It appears that there is a split in news reporting in Japan: on one hand we have the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency which seems to present a downside case, while the government is obviously spinning news in a favorable direction. While the Japanese government is likely not to be trusted much with truthful data dissemination, jumping the shark on rumor spreading is probably not in anyone's favor either. That said, with the government losing credibility (see prior Stratfor post), the question is just whom can the public trust, if not the Japanese government and media? Furthermore, if there is another accident at Fukushima, and the government's credibility is completely destroyed, what happens next: after all the BoJ needs as much "market faith" as it can muster ahead of its decision on Monday to flood the money markets with JPY2 trillion (sound familiar). If the government eats up all the street cred of Shirakawa, the BOJ rush to action may end up doing far more bad than good.

From the IAEA:

Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that Units 1, 2, and 4 at the Fukushima Daini retain off-site power but are experiencing increased pressure in each reactor. Plant operators have vented the containment at each of the three units and are considering further venting to alleviate the increase in pressure.

Daini Unit 3 is in a safe, cold shutdown, according to Japanese officials.

Japanese authorities have reported some casualties to nuclear plant workers. At Fukushima Daichi, four workers were injured by the explosion at the Unit 1 reactor, and there are three other reported injuries in other incidents. In addition, one worker was exposed to higher-than-normal radiation levels that fall below the IAEA guidance for emergency situations. At Fukushima Daini, one worker has died in a crane operation accident and four others have been injured.

In partnership with the World Meteorological Organization, the IAEA is providing its member states with weather forecasts for the affected areas in Japan. The latest predictions have indicated winds moving to the Northeast, away from Japanese coast over the next three days.

The IAEA continues to liaise with the Japanese authorities and is monitoring the situation as it evolves.

Now this is interesting!

[germanos]

What radiation leakage there has been as a result of the successful shutdown process. In fact, it's a commentary on the safety of the design that the struggle hasn't been to prevent a meltdown(something very hard to occur with a BWR design) but to work to ensure that it'll be usable in the future.

I'll take up the challange.

What radiation leakage there has been as a result of the successful shutdown process.

If that's true (which it isn't) than Nuclear powerplants are an even bigger threat than already feared.

In fact, it's a commentary on the safety of the design that the struggle hasn't been to prevent a meltdown(something very hard to occur with a BWR design) but to work to ensure that it'll be usable in the future.

They are letting seawater in to prevent something very serious (most probably a meltdown). The seawater alone is enough to render the reactor inoperable in the future. (well, safely that is)

From your navy friends:

The reactors that are being discussed in the news were successfully shut down. The problems are related to post shutdown safety.

So what? It's ****ed up and a big threat.

Observing that this is the worst case scenario and that Fukushima is Japans oldest nuclear power plant; worth highlighting that there is still no evidence that there has been loss of containment or a leak that represents a public health concern. The leaks to date have been controlled and regulated as part of the safety procedures. Keep your head on folks, all of the public safety being done from iodine to evacuations is part of the stated Japanese nuclear safety plan which can be found online (I have not seen an English version).

At the moment there are multiple reactors that experience serious problems. To blame it on the age is silly and irresponsible. It's beside the truth and what's worse: the world is littered with older designs, so to express concern regarding these reactors is valid. That the Japanese have pans for when things go wrong is wonderful, but is no valid argument to downplay the healthrisks that are evidently a concern to the authorities. Mind you, distributing Iodine is equivalent to innoculate the population against some bad contageous disease. It's silly to state that since these innoculations are standard procedure the disease "doesn't represent a public health concern".

The Fukushima plant situation is serious, but it is not some emerging catastrophe some are making it out to be.

It may not, or it may be. 24 hours ago people where laughed at for expressing their concern. Then suddenly BOOM, the thing blew up. Nobody would have thought that possible. And now I'm the idiot because I think other 'unimaginable' things might happen at any of the 4 or 5 reactors? With equal authority of the author I can say: "it is not some pre-studied pre-empted emergency situation that the engineers are handling"

[Docfeelgood]

Be careful they will start calling you chick little.

[KrazyHorse]

So, your a nuclear expert also?

You are an idiot.

[Docfeelgood]

I saw in the news that the US has 23 nuke plants just like the ones in Japan. Now the concern is if these could malfunction as well during a earthquake if one should happen here. Before anyone says BS, in the area these plants are in has the record for the strongest EQ ever recorded in history.

[Docfeelgood]

You are an idiot.

What are you? another genius?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/wo...l?pagewanted=1


New York Times, fact or fiction? All you experts please feel free to give us the truth.

What the NYT describes hives with all accounts. Unit 1 presumably lost enough coolant likely as a result of safety relief valve actuation. This resulted in core uncovery rod temperature likely exceeded 1500 F which then allowed steam reaction with Zircaloy cladding thus generating hydrogen which ultimately detonated taking out the upper levels of unit 1 containment. Thankfully the reactor integrity is presumably in fair shape. Make no mistake however the decision to introduce seawater into the core means the reactor is compromised and will never operate again.

Since both unit 1 & 3 have seawater applied one can assume the utility has determined unit 3 fuel integrity was also compromised. Most of the mass of fuel has been contained in the reactor vessels save for the amount vented. I would concur with the assessments that the worst is over now that coolant is being introduced and backup power to pumps established.

[KrazyHorse]

germanos, from what I've seen the claim is that the situation is less serious than, e.g. three mile island. Given that the public health effects of TMI were basically nil, why are you so convinced that this is something to be clucking on about?

By the way, my wife is a certified health physicist and medical physicist. She has 8 years of experience in radiation safety, diagnostic imaging and radio oncology. She seems to think that a partial meltdown (which may be what has happened here) is not particularly worrisome...

[Docfeelgood]

If the plants are toast, how long do you think they will be without electric power? Can the ones working pick up the slack?