Melted nuclear fuel seen inside second Fukushima reactor

[rangerrebew]

Melted nuclear fuel seen inside second Fukushima reactor
January 19, 2018 by Mari Yamaguchi


The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Friday that a long telescopic probe successfully captured images of what is most likely melted fuel inside one of its three damaged reactors, providing limited but crucial information for its cleanup.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the fishing rod-like device carrying a camera went deep into the plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel. The images indicated that at least part of the fuel had breached the core, falling to the vessel's floor, TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Kimoto said.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nuclear-fuel-fukushima-reactor.html#jCp

[Joe Wooten]

Melted nuclear fuel seen inside second Fukushima reactor
January 19, 2018 by Mari Yamaguchi


The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said Friday that a long telescopic probe successfully captured images of what is most likely melted fuel inside one of its three damaged reactors, providing limited but crucial information for its cleanup.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the fishing rod-like device carrying a camera went deep into the plant's Unit 2 primary containment vessel. The images indicated that at least part of the fuel had breached the core, falling to the vessel's floor, TEPCO spokesman Takahiro Kimoto said.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-01-nuclear-fuel-fukushima-reactor.html#jCp

I don't know about the Japanese plants, but American plants have what is called a "core catcher" underneath the reactor vessel. It is a very thick pad of reinforced concrete with steel plates.

[GtHawk]

I don't know about the Japanese plants, but American plants have what is called a "core catcher" underneath the reactor vessel. It is a very thick pad of reinforced concrete with steel plates.

Nike Brand Core Catcher

[WingNot]

If a US nuke plant core melted down it would melt to China.  Where would a Jap nuke melted core go?

[driftdiver]

I don't know about the Japanese plants, but American plants have what is called a "core catcher" underneath the reactor vessel. It is a very thick pad of reinforced concrete with steel plates.

The design of the reactors is available.  Do a search.   To my untrained eye it looks like they had a big concrete slab under the core.   Some sources seem to say it may have melted thru that down to bedrock.