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General Category => World News => Topic started by: ABX on December 30, 2013, 05:22:53 pm

Title: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: ABX on December 30, 2013, 05:22:53 pm
Quote
Turner Radio Network (TRN) has issued a report regarding Fukushima Diachi Nuclear Plant that is expected to affect the entire Northern Hemisphere.

According to the report: “Persons residing on the west coast of North America should IMMEDIATELY begin preparing for another possible onslaught of dangerous atmospheric radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster site in Japan.”

TEPCO has confirmed that via camera surveillance, that steam has begun to pour from Reactor 3, although they have “not been identified abnormal plant conditions.”

TEPCO are reporting that “radioactive steam has suddenly begun emanating from previously exploded nuclear reactor building #3 at the Fukuishima disaster site in Japan.”

- See more at: http://www.occupycorporatism.com/tepco-quietly-admits-reactor-3-melting-now/#sthash.umIX7DHa.dpuf



As a disclaimer, this does appear to be a reactionary/conspiracy leaning site
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Chieftain on December 30, 2013, 05:36:21 pm
Dated December 28th....been 2 days and I have not heard a peep about this yet.  Reuters has been reporting on how the homeless are being recruited to work the cleanup and being paid minimum wage to do it.

This has been a First Class Fuster Cluck from the very beginning.  The US sent the USS Abraham Lincoln over there right after the quake and had to withdraw it because the radioactive plume was so large it contaminated the ship.  If you look at a picture of the whole site from the air, the number of temporary tanks that inhabit the site is staggering, and leakage of radioactive water continues.

A steam release would not surprise me, and I am quite certain there is enough residual heat in the bottom of that mess to keep boiling water for a good long time.  When you have a massive meltdown like this, all of the components surrounding the nuclear fuel melt together into a substance termed "corium".  The mass is highly radioactive and semi-molten and contains everything from uranium to stainless steel and even concrete and the stones in it.  It could take decades for it to cool down to below the boiling point of water.

Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: EC on December 30, 2013, 09:03:04 pm
Why are they using water anyway?

Extract the water and dump molten sodium on top of the core. Harder to vaporize, much more efficient as a heat transfer medium and the pipework should last long enough to cool the corium.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Chieftain on December 30, 2013, 09:33:14 pm
Why are they using water anyway?

Extract the water and dump molten sodium on top of the core. Harder to vaporize, much more efficient as a heat transfer medium and the pipework should last long enough to cool the corium.

Water is an excellent neutron moderator as well as being useful for heat removal.  But sodium only works when you have it in a contained, pressurized, specifically designed reactor, which none of the units at Fukashima are.  As I understand it they have sea water infiltrating the foundations along with several sources of groundwater from inland.

Have you ever seen what happens when you put sodium in water??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAFcZo8dTcU

Sodium explosively separates the oxygen from the hydrogen...
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: EC on December 30, 2013, 09:59:37 pm
Ah - I forgot about the sea water infiltration. Makes that a very bad idea!

I assumed that the core had melted but the surrounding structure was sound. A pressurized water reactor can run on molten sodium as a coolant and heat transfer medium for a time - up to a year if all codes are followed. The pressure levels are similar, though the pipework will corrode out faster, but it's not as if this reactor is ever going back into service.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: SPQR on December 31, 2013, 08:31:40 am
This is the type of reactor Enrico Fermi used to create a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. there has been a movement to ban these types of reactors because of its unstable nature
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: olde north church on December 31, 2013, 12:43:27 pm
I mean, maybe it's a bit late for this but don't you think they should have thought about all possible contingencies and how to repair them BEFORE they build these things?
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Chieftain on December 31, 2013, 12:55:23 pm
I mean, maybe it's a bit late for this but don't you think they should have thought about all possible contingencies and how to repair them BEFORE they build these things?

Actually, they did.  But nobody foresaw a magnitude 9+ quake that triggered a massive tsunami.  It was the tsunami knocking out all auxilliary power to the plant that triggered the accident in the first place. 
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: aligncare on December 31, 2013, 01:02:52 pm
Brings to mind the old adage, we know more than we understand.  Or, a little bit of knowledge is a ...
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: olde north church on December 31, 2013, 03:06:58 pm
Actually, they did.  But nobody foresaw a magnitude 9+ quake that triggered a massive tsunami.  It was the tsunami knocking out all auxilliary power to the plant that triggered the accident in the first place.

how could they?  it's not like they are the diamond in the setting on the ring of fire or anything like that
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: 11thCommandment on December 31, 2013, 03:13:27 pm
Water is an excellent neutron moderator as well as being useful for heat removal.  But sodium only works when you have it in a contained, pressurized, specifically designed reactor, which none of the units at Fukashima are.  As I understand it they have sea water infiltrating the foundations along with several sources of groundwater from inland.

Have you ever seen what happens when you put sodium in water??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAFcZo8dTcU

Sodium explosively separates the oxygen from the hydrogen...

I remember a science teacher telling us a story about a kid who took a piece of sodium from school to try this and stuck it in his pocket.  It was a hot day and the kid was sweating on the way home, and when he got sweaty enough, the sodium went off in his pocket.  Probably that was just to keep any of us from taking his sodium.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Chieftain on December 31, 2013, 03:20:41 pm
I remember a science teacher telling us a story about a kid who took a piece of sodium from school to try this and stuck it in his pocket.  It was a hot day and the kid was sweating on the way home, and when he got sweaty enough, the sodium went off in his pocket.  Probably that was just to keep any of us from taking his sodium.

When I was young and irresponsible, I had a friend who worked at the local sodium and chlorine extraction plant.  They put salt in these large cells and put enormous voltage through it between an anode and a cathode.  Sodium went to one side, chlorine to the other.  The sodium went up the road to the company's titanium plant where it is used to produce pure titanium metal.

A friend of mine who worked there swiped a 35 pound brick of sodium one Friday.  He wrapped it in an oily rag to keep the moisture from it and smuggled it out in his lunchbox.  That night we were out cruising and decided it would be great fun to toss that brick off the local viaduct and down into the river 200 feet below.  So at around 2 AM we did just that, tossing the brick out the car window at mid span (as soon as my friend unwrapped it, it started smoking...) and hauling ass before it hit the river.  When it did, it lit up the whole river gorge like a cheap nuclear weapon and made enough noise that the local authorities were called out to investigate....we even made the paper the next day when they reported on the phantom explosion.  They never did figure out what happened...

Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: aligncare on December 31, 2013, 03:38:45 pm
Cool tale, Chief. Yes, likely because of youth and foolishness. Yet, if wisdom follows age why is Congress so bleeping foolish?
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Lando Lincoln on December 31, 2013, 03:43:50 pm
When I was young and irresponsible, I had a friend who worked at the local sodium and chlorine extraction plant.  They put salt in these large cells and put enormous voltage through it between an anode and a cathode.  Sodium went to one side, chlorine to the other.  The sodium went up the road to the company's titanium plant where it is used to produce pure titanium metal.

A friend of mine who worked there swiped a 35 pound brick of sodium one Friday.  He wrapped it in an oily rag to keep the moisture from it and smuggled it out in his lunchbox.  That night we were out cruising and decided it would be great fun to toss that brick off the local viaduct and down into the river 200 feet below.  So at around 2 AM we did just that, tossing the brick out the car window at mid span (as soon as my friend unwrapped it, it started smoking...) and hauling ass before it hit the river.  When it did, it lit up the whole river gorge like a cheap nuclear weapon and made enough noise that the local authorities were called out to investigate....we even made the paper the next day when they reported on the phantom explosion.  They never did figure out what happened...

Great story!  Crazy Mudboy would have enjoyed that one!
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: 11thCommandment on December 31, 2013, 05:10:20 pm
When I was young and irresponsible, I had a friend who worked at the local sodium and chlorine extraction plant.  They put salt in these large cells and put enormous voltage through it between an anode and a cathode.  Sodium went to one side, chlorine to the other.  The sodium went up the road to the company's titanium plant where it is used to produce pure titanium metal.

A friend of mine who worked there swiped a 35 pound brick of sodium one Friday.  He wrapped it in an oily rag to keep the moisture from it and smuggled it out in his lunchbox.  That night we were out cruising and decided it would be great fun to toss that brick off the local viaduct and down into the river 200 feet below.  So at around 2 AM we did just that, tossing the brick out the car window at mid span (as soon as my friend unwrapped it, it started smoking...) and hauling ass before it hit the river.  When it did, it lit up the whole river gorge like a cheap nuclear weapon and made enough noise that the local authorities were called out to investigate....we even made the paper the next day when they reported on the phantom explosion.  They never did figure out what happened...



What happened to the chlorine?
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: olde north church on December 31, 2013, 05:11:57 pm
When I was young and irresponsible, I had a friend who worked at the local sodium and chlorine extraction plant.  They put salt in these large cells and put enormous voltage through it between an anode and a cathode.  Sodium went to one side, chlorine to the other.  The sodium went up the road to the company's titanium plant where it is used to produce pure titanium metal.

A friend of mine who worked there swiped a 35 pound brick of sodium one Friday.  He wrapped it in an oily rag to keep the moisture from it and smuggled it out in his lunchbox.  That night we were out cruising and decided it would be great fun to toss that brick off the local viaduct and down into the river 200 feet below.  So at around 2 AM we did just that, tossing the brick out the car window at mid span (as soon as my friend unwrapped it, it started smoking...) and hauling ass before it hit the river.  When it did, it lit up the whole river gorge like a cheap nuclear weapon and made enough noise that the local authorities were called out to investigate....we even made the paper the next day when they reported on the phantom explosion.  They never did figure out what happened...

Yeah, that's why you have to keep sodium in oil.  It ignites when it hits the oxygen.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: 11thCommandment on December 31, 2013, 05:18:27 pm
Yeah, that's why you have to keep sodium in oil.  It ignites when it hits the oxygen.

The oxygen or the water?
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: olde north church on December 31, 2013, 05:32:37 pm
The oxygen or the water?

I think both actually.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: SouthTexas on December 31, 2013, 05:34:10 pm
As a disclaimer, this does appear to be a reactionary/conspiracy leaning site

As a friend asked when this first happened, "Wasn't there already a nuclear incident in Japan?"
He had both a brother and sister that were pilots in WWII.

Seriously, isn't a slow reaction better than a fast one?
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: 11thCommandment on December 31, 2013, 05:36:22 pm
As a friend asked when this first happened, "Wasn't there already a nuclear incident in Japan?"
He had both a brother and sister that were pilots in WWII.

Seriously, isn't a slow reaction better than a fast one?


LOL!!
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: massadvj on December 31, 2013, 05:45:57 pm
It is ironic when you think about it.  The only country on earth to have been targeted and struck by nuclear weapons builds nuclear plants along the Ring of Fire and self-inflicts yet another nuclear holocaust.  I guess you could say it's cultural Hari Kari.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: 11thCommandment on December 31, 2013, 05:51:02 pm
It is ironic when you think about it.  The only country on earth to have been targeted and struck by nuclear weapons builds nuclear plants along the Ring of Fire and self-inflicts yet another nuclear holocaust.  I guess you could say it's cultural Hari Kari.

Maybe they figured they had already been pre-disastered like the house in the movie The World According to Garp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBSAeqdcZAM
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: SouthTexas on December 31, 2013, 06:04:13 pm
When I was young and irresponsible, I had a friend who worked at the local sodium and chlorine extraction plant.  They put salt in these large cells and put enormous voltage through it between an anode and a cathode.  Sodium went to one side, chlorine to the other.  The sodium went up the road to the company's titanium plant where it is used to produce pure titanium metal.

A friend of mine who worked there swiped a 35 pound brick of sodium one Friday.  He wrapped it in an oily rag to keep the moisture from it and smuggled it out in his lunchbox.  That night we were out cruising and decided it would be great fun to toss that brick off the local viaduct and down into the river 200 feet below.  So at around 2 AM we did just that, tossing the brick out the car window at mid span (as soon as my friend unwrapped it, it started smoking...) and hauling ass before it hit the river.  When it did, it lit up the whole river gorge like a cheap nuclear weapon and made enough noise that the local authorities were called out to investigate....we even made the paper the next day when they reported on the phantom explosion.  They never did figure out what happened...

Always wanted to do that, but never got around to it.  In high school, we had a gallon jar filled with kerosene that had a 2-3" rod of sodium as tall as the jar.  Did get to cut a small piece out an drop into a dish of water and watch it dance.  After a friend splattered sodium across the room, ceiling, etc. I remember the teacher saying "a pea, I said a piece the size of a pea"! LOL
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Atomic Cow on December 31, 2013, 06:18:33 pm
The first line of the article says that this is complete and absolute bullsh*t.  Just look @ the URL; the name alone tells you all you need to know about the site.

The US West Coast was never in danger, but that didn't stop the fear mongering which resulted in several people ODing on potassium iodine pills.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: Cincinnatus on December 31, 2013, 08:32:19 pm
11thCommandment, what is wrong with you and what kind of a crowd did you hang out with?

I remember a science teacher telling us a story about a kid who took a piece of sodium from school to try this and stuck it in his pocket.  It was a hot day and the kid was sweating on the way home, and when he got sweaty enough, the sodium went off in his pocket.  Probably that was just to keep any of us from taking his sodium.

If a high school (?) chem teacher had told us that story we would have turned to one another and said, "Cool! Let's try it."

And for the females on here that is exactly how males think, which is why most of those videos you see of people doing weird and dumb stuff which results in minor disasters and injuries involve guys; because, what the hell, let's give it a go.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: SPQR on December 31, 2013, 11:40:38 pm
It is ironic when you think about it.  The only country on earth to have been targeted and struck by nuclear weapons builds nuclear plants along the Ring of Fire and self-inflicts yet another nuclear holocaust.  I guess you could say it's cultural Hari Kari.

They do not have any natural resources.They rely on importation of oil, gas, many metals and more.

http://www.ask.com/question/a-list-of-japan-s-natural-resources
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: massadvj on December 31, 2013, 11:53:04 pm
They do not have any natural resources.They rely on importation of oil, gas, many metals and more.

http://www.ask.com/question/a-list-of-japan-s-natural-resources

Very true.  I didn't mean to suggest they had no good reason to do it, just noting the irony.

As for that sodium in water thing, maybe we finally have the answer to all those mysterious booms in DC's posts.
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: SPQR on December 31, 2013, 11:59:32 pm
Very true.  I didn't mean to suggest they had no good reason to do it, just noting the irony.

As for that sodium in water thing, maybe we finally have the answer to all those mysterious booms in DC's posts.

I think that they should of chosen a better design of a reactor like the CANDU reactor which has a better safety record than the current reactor design they are using.The CANDU designs have several emergency cooling systems, as well as having limited self-pumping capability through thermal means (the steam generator is well above the reactor). Even in the event of a catastrophic accident and core meltdown, it is important to remember that the fuel is not critical in light water. This means that cooling the core with water from nearby sources will not add to the reactivity of the fuel mass.

http://www.nuclearfaq.ca/cnf_sectionD.htm
Title: Re: TEPCO Quietly Admits Reactor 3 Could Be Melting Down NOW (Fukushima)
Post by: DCPatriot on January 01, 2014, 02:08:34 am
The first line of the article says that this is complete and absolute bullsh*t.  Just look @ the URL; the name alone tells you all you need to know about the site.

The US West Coast was never in danger, but that didn't stop the fear mongering which resulted in several people ODing on potassium iodine pills.

AH!  Thanks for checking in, AC! 

I'll take your lead here on this one.  When you start to worry, so will I.   :laugh: