patsfan13

The me in the title does NOT refer to patsfan13, it refers to Dr Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at MIT. This is the best explanation/description I have seen about what is happening at the Fukushima reactor site.

Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors. | Morgsatlarge – blogorific.


It is also a primer on how this plant was designed.

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"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

chicowalker

This looks like it should be an interesting read -- thaks for posting

Patters

This is certainly close to an ultimate test of nuclear safety, and if one considers that Japan has the reputation of having some of the highest safety standards in the world, this test probably shows the upper end of our ability to build a safe reactor. The article certainly makes some reassuring points, though frankly I think any sane person should be a little worried regardless of how much faith they have in the technology. After all, a reactor has never been tested by a record earthquake and a tsunami.

chicowalker

I think it probably shows the upper end of our ability to build a safe reactor at that time (whenever it was built).

While we shouldn't have blind faith in technology, that applies to all energy forms, doesn't it? Everything has its risks and its drawbacks, regardless of how high-tech it is.

patsfan13

It is notable that the reactor is 40 years old and this sort of reactor isn't even built anymore. The new designs are much safer than this sort of reactor.

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"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

Patters

It seems conceptually, you can't really build a much safer reactor than the ones they have in Japan, but the Japanese are handling the situation, rightfully, with a lot of caution. Even if the reactors do not explode, the question of viability is still raised since they have been rendered useless and are requiring enormous manpower to contend with the threat of a major disaster. That said, it's pretty amazing that an earthquake and massive tsunami may not have been enough to break the reactor housing.

patsfan13

A couple of these reactors were set to be decommissioned and replaced due to their age. This will speed up the process. These reactors were built by GE.

__________________
"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

Titus Pullo

When does Pilgrim get decommissioned?

patsfan13

So if you read this article the worst case scenario outlined by the Dr is happening they couldn't get enough water to the reactors.

The reports are getting pretty hysterical in the Media (inc fox). If the doc is right the process has been stretched out and the time to cool down the reactors will be months not weeks.

It would be good to know if the radioactivity from the site is Iodine of Cesium? Iodine can be neutralizer in humans with Potassium-Iodine pills. Also it will decay in days. If Cesium, there are real serious problems there.

__________________
"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

Patters

The worst case scenario is that the reactors have been rendered useless, are demanding enormous resources when resources are needed elsewhere, pose a serious health danger, and are not an easily replaceable source of energy. Indeed, the worse case scenario is for hundreds of thousands of Japanese, perhaps already scarred by the memory of Truman's atrocities, and now scarred by the earthquake and tsunami, are even further traumatized by the fear of radiation poisoning. It's easy to make an argument from the comfort of your own home thousands of miles from Japan, but humans aren't computers and there surely is a severe psychological threat from smoking nuclear plants, which are generating explosions felt miles and miles away.

There are of course even worse case scenarios, but the Japanese seem to have those under control. There is no spinning this into a victory for nuclear energy. I've been for nuclear energy for a long time, but right now I agree there needs to be a freeze. We need to understand the damage, danger, and harm that these plants caused in Japan before proceeding, and you can't simply ignore the emotional harm imo.