Radiation at Fukushima nuclear plant at unimaginable levels

Gee, i dunno, do ya think they might be... connected?



Rescuers Fight to Save Hundreds of Pilot Whales Beached in New Zealand

a reply to: loam

Why can't we contain this BS somehow???

Can't we just dump a million tons of concrete on it and basically cover up the radiation leaking out everywhere in a big rock blob or something???

We can figure out some complete fix or something later. But until then why not just contain the damn leaking death rather than just letting it slowly poison the entire planet as it flows through the oceans??

I don't understand why the world is just sitting around for years now watching this thing hemorrhage poison out which eventually could kill everything. We contain waste material and other meltdowns so why not this one??? The others aren't anything more than just big patches either since we don't know what else to do with this radioactive crap either. So why not at least put a temp patch on this damn thing like the others??

a reply to: BurbGirl378

Gee, i dunno, do ya think they might be... connected?

No. I don't think so. Whales have been beaching themselves since long before there were nuclear disasters.

a reply to: mOjOm

Can't we just dump a million tons of concrete on it and basically cover up the radiation leaking out everywhere in a big rock blob or something???

No, we can't. There are things like hydrostatic pressure that prevent that from being a solution. Concrete is not waterproof.

There are actually some very smart people, engineers and stuff, involved. There is no simple solution but removing as much of the core material as possible is part of the critical path.

But until then why not just contain the damn leaking death rather than just letting it slowly poison the entire planet as it flows through the oceans??

Natural sources of radiation dwarf the leakage from the plant, to an absurd degree. The area near the plant is badly contaminated but the ocean is wide and very, very deep.

a reply to: roadgravel

Agreed. And people wonder why Japan is building an army. I believe it's to defend their country from outsiders who have taken our view.
An international body of Nations should have stepped in within the year. Now, we're pretty much screwed regardless of what we do.

a reply to: Phage

They can't find the core or the rods though, right? Or is it that they know where they are but can't retrieve them bc of the lack of technology? I would imagine anything battery operated would die before it even got close.

originally posted by: Phage
There are actually some very smart people, engineers and stuff, involved. There is no simple solution but removing as much of the core material as possible is part of the critical path.

Removing it sounds nearly impossible according to this source:

“Unprecedented”: Fukushima reactor “far worse than previously thought” — “Melted fuel has come in contact with underground water” — Molten core appears spread over “extensive area” — Japan “will have a much more difficult time decommissioning” — Official: “It’s a very big turning point” (VIDEO)

the first images of melted nuclear fuel at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant show that Tokyo Electric Power Co. will have a much more difficult time decommissioning the battered facility. The condition of what is believed to be melted fuel inside the No. 2 reactor at the plant appears far worse than previously thought… mages showed black lumps scattered on a wire-mesh grating in the lower part of the containment vessel… This indicates that the fuel melted through bottom of the pressure vessel, spilled through the grating and fell on the floor of the containment vessel… The images could show only part of the melted fuel in the No. 2 reactor. And there is still no indication on how widespread the black lumps were strewn, their volume and state.

Mainichi Daily News, Jan 31, 2017: Footage points to difficulty in removing possible melted fuel at Fukushima plant — The footage released on Jan. 30 by [TEPCO] showing what could be melted fuel inside the No. 2 reactor… has highlighted the difficulty of salvaging the object, which is apparently stuck to footholds and other equipment at the facility… black and brown sediments — possible melted fuel — are stuck inside the reactor’s containment vessel over an extensive area. “If what was captured in the footage was melted fuel, that would provide a major step forward toward trying our hand at unprecedented decommissioning work,” said [TEPCO's] Yoshiyuki Ishizaki… there were 548 nuclear fuel rods totaling some 164 metric tons inside the No. 2 reactor… The melted fuel has since come in contact with underground water flowing from the mountain side, generating radioactively contaminated water every day…

...

Bloomberg, Jan 31, 2017: The unprecedented nature of the Fukushima disaster means that Tepco is pinning its efforts on technology not yet invented to get the melted fuel out of the reactors.

a reply to: BurbGirl378

Unlikely. If I were you, I'd start taking a look at the South Atlantic anamoly, the spot over the SE US and the 1994 program that moved and/or created new runways at airports in the US bc GPS on aircraft weren't lining up correctly. Migratory animals tend to die off in large numbers bc of the same reason for all of the above things. Do research and when you find the cause, research how that cause affects the patterns of migration for animals on our planet. I think you will find some startling information. Namely, that migratory animals use instinct that is similar to our GPS. In your case, I bet the whales didn't know there was land where there should have been water.

a reply to: ColdChillin

They can't find the core or the rods though, right? Or is it that they know where they are but can't retrieve them bc of the lack of technology? I would imagine anything battery operated would die before it even got close.

Imagery from #2 has been returned which indicates at least some of the core material has not even reached the containment barrier. At this point, there is no reason to think that any has left it.

a reply to: loam

Yes. New challenges generally do lead to new technology.

a reply to: Phage

So is the reporting above incorrect?

No. 2 reactor at the plant appears far worse than previously thought… mages showed black lumps scattered on a wire-mesh grating in the lower part of the containment vessel… This indicates that the fuel melted through bottom of the pressure vessel, spilled through the grating and fell on the floor of the containment vessel… The images could show only part of the melted fuel in the No. 2 reactor. And there is still no indication on how widespread the black lumps were strewn, their volume and state.

Where did you get that it hadn't reached the containment vessel?

a reply to: Phage

I'm simply repeating the last information I had gleaned regarding Fukushima, Phage. Be easy. I asked you bc you are one of the few on this site whose opinion I actually care to hear.

a reply to: loam

The facts as known are correct.

Feel free to be doomy and gloomy if you think it serves any purpose.

Japan should just give up on the problem. Right?

a reply to: ColdChillin

Sorry, I got all overlapped on my responses.

Sorted now, I think.

a reply to: Phage

Hell no. They should try harder but I simply don't think TEPCO is capable of handling it on their own. I think they are out of their league.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: loam

Feel free to be doomy and gloomy if you think it serves any purpose.

Japan should just give up on the problem. Right?

So trying to understand the facts is doomy and gloomy?

Do you have a problem or something???!

What a jackass thing to say.

a reply to: Phage

No worries, man. It's all good.

a reply to: ColdChillin

They are not on their own. The IAEA is quite involved.
www.iaea.org...

a reply to: loam

enenews is quite doomy and gloomy.

I have a hard time believing that cs-137 which is pretty freaking heavy is going to float all the way across the pacific ocean and make it to the west coast. As Phage said, the seafloor close to the site will be bad, but overall I'm not seeing a major reason to worry. I mean the fuel hasn't made it past the containment, indicating its doing exactly its job. The containment was built specifically for what its doing. Combine that with the shielding that the containment structure provides, along with the shielding from the vessel itself, and the 530 sieverts, converts to slightly elevated outside of the structure. Would you agree Phage?

Side question...are you a navy nuke? The very blunt and honest criticism definitely checks.