Earthquake in Japan....9.0...ouch!

[badcompany]

Here we go

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/uk-japan-quake-europe-idUKTRE72B2YV20110312

Bloody these tools are the reason we are sitting at the precipice of a global energy catastrophe.

 

[VaderDSL]

Here we go

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/uk-japan-quake-europe-idUKTRE72B2YV20110312

Bloody these tools are the reason we are sitting at the precipice of a global energy catastrophe.

Soon as they have to use candles each evening for a few hours due to rolling black outs they'll soon be crying for Nuclear power stations, but then it'll be too late.

Personally I find it remarkable that these Nuclear stations, some of the oldest I believe in Japan, have survived an 8.9 magnitude quake, what 90 miles away? Then a Tsunami hitting it, then another strong aftershock very near to it.

I think the strongest Quake since records began in the UK was around 6 in the 1930's? Maybe less than that on todays equipment.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

I was going to ask one of the chaps in the industry, what is the residual heat in these things once the reaction has stopped ? And how long does it last?

Fission is splitting the uranium into smaller elements and releasing a portion of the nucleus binding energy as heat which is carried away by the coolant where it then heats the low pressure system such that it turns that system water into steam to drive tge turbine.

The elements that are split are unstable isotopes roughly elements half of the 235 mass of Uranium, that continue to lose mass through emission of particles, alpha, beta gamma and the main being neutrons. These neutrons are still hitting the water in the coolant, particularly the hydrogen atom in H2O as this is what slows the neutron to a state that is appropraite to split more uranium atoms, hence the fission moderator in these is the coolant and the hotter the coolant the further the H2O is apart and hence reactivity reduces giving a degree of self control.

importantly the energy imparted into the water molecule essentially raises the energy state by exciting the hydrogen atom and as we know more kinetic energy on an atomic scale results in the element heating up. Hence the heat continuing. Now the rods qre dropped they will absorb tge neutrons instead of them reaching other fuel rod of U235. So that stops more reactions and the core is said to be sub critical. The isotopes however are still emitting neutrons which continues to raise the thermal state of the water in the coolant, hence this residual called 'decay heat' exists as the isotopes (chunks of uranium that has turned into smaller elements)stablise.

 

[deko]

Here we go

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/uk-japan-quake-europe-idUKTRE72B2YV20110312

Bloody these tools are the reason we are sitting at the precipice of a global energy catastrophe.

I never understand these 'green' nutjobs. What do they want? They hate burning fossil fuels to make energy, because of the pollution, they hate Nuclear energy because of the risk, I guess, and they hate wind farms because they kill a few birds. Do they want us to regress 2000 years?

 

[Mp4]

Rip to the people in Japan

 

[Rroff]

Soon as they have to use candles each evening for a few hours due to rolling black outs they'll soon be crying for Nuclear power stations, but then it'll be too late.

Personally I find it remarkable that these Nuclear stations, some of the oldest I believe in Japan, have survived an 8.9 magnitude quake, what 90 miles away? Then a Tsunami hitting it, then another strong aftershock very near to it.

I think the strongest Quake since records began in the UK was around 6 in the 1930's? Maybe less than that on todays equipment.

Even more remarkable given that several of the stations are decades old designs and not had the investment they should in upkeep properly maintained and designed they are pretty safe.

 

[Andy90]

Don't know if it has been posted previously today, but according to The Telegraph, they're now saying that almost 10,000 people – out of a population of 17,000 – were missing from the fishing port of Minamisanriku.

Also Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the Earth's axis shifted 9.8in [25cm] and The US Geological Survey said the main island of Japan had moved 7.8ft [2.4m]!

I suspect the death toll is going to rise quite dramatically. Very sad.

 

[Mr Krugga]

I never understand these 'green' nutjobs. What do they want? They hate burning fossil fuels to make energy, because of the pollution, they hate Nuclear energy because of the risk, I guess, and they hate wind farms because they kill a few birds. Do they want us to regress 2000 years?

Not 2000 years, more like 200 years. On the serious note though, we could really be more friendly to our environment but that would slower our progress (and economic growth) and would mean a major change in views of most people.

They have some valid principles but they're fight is pretty much impossible to win in the modern world.

 

[Rroff]

Don't know if it has been posted previously today, but according to The Telegraph, they're now saying that almost 10,000 people – out of a population of 17,000 – were missing from the fishing port of Minamisanriku.

Also Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the Earth's axis shifted 9.8in [25cm] and The US Geological Survey said the main island of Japan had moved 7.8ft [2.4m]!

I suspect the death toll is going to rise quite dramatically. Very sad.

Sadly I can't see how the death toll can possibly be less than 5 figures and a good way into 5 figures too I suspect the upper limit is somewhere in the region of 150K.

 

[badcompany]

back to the 1800's ! no thanks!

Back to the issue at hand is there a 3rd reactor in trouble now?

 

[SkScotchegg]

The answer to this question might have already been said elsewhere on this forum or the previous 38 pages of this post, and I haven't seen the news today but how bad is the power plant situation? Is it stable now but could blow at any moment?

And if it did blow up, what would happen? millions of people die?

And does radiation travel in the wind round the world and could kill us here in UK?

Also compared to a nuclear bomb going off, how bad is a power plant is comparison if it was to totally blow up and release all that energy?

 

[drunkenmaster]

what fallout, containment is still intact.


Yawn, these paragraphs are so general they could fit pretty much any age in the last few thousand years,

Containment isn't fully intact, firstly that outter shell was one level of containment and thats clearly not there anymore

Its also too early to tell if any structural faults were caused, there was an earthquake, serious overheating, an explosion, even if nothing has failed yet I wouldn't be sure it wouldn't fail.

I'm sure they were saying earlier they were cooling the reactor no.1 by directly putting seawater on or in the reactor, it wasn't clear, I'm not sure that as a last resort they aren't just hosing down the metal shell of the core with sea water.

What metal are they made of exactly, its slightly worrying that after a massive earthquake, a Tsunami, overheating and an explosion that they are now pouring cold water onto a crazy hot metal reactor.

AS for radiation, I think one of the things you get from direct water from a reactor is nitrogen 13 which has a very short half life, which is why high levels measured at the plant aren't really an issue further out as lots will decay before it gets to anyone.

I think in a Boiling water reactor, where there isn't an intermediate water system but the water directly cooling the reactor and also turning the turbine, and responsible for the high pressures can have quite a few other things in it.

 

[badcompany]

#3 reactor cooling has failed and could explode (skynews 22:16)

 

[ojrules]

#3 reactor cooling has failed and could explode (skynews 22:16)

linky please?

 

[Andr3w]

Don't know if it has been posted previously today, but according to The Telegraph, they're now saying that almost 10,000 people – out of a population of 17,000 – were missing from the fishing port of Minamisanriku.

Also Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the Earth's axis shifted 9.8in [25cm] and The US Geological Survey said the main island of Japan had moved 7.8ft [2.4m]!

I suspect the death toll is going to rise quite dramatically. Very sad.

They just showed a before and after picture of Minamisanriku, 17,000 population....the ONLY building left standing was the hospital.

 

[mlbtheshow]

Don't know if it has been posted previously today, but according to The Telegraph, they're now saying that almost 10,000 people – out of a population of 17,000 – were missing from the fishing port of Minamisanriku.

Also Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology said the Earth's axis shifted 9.8in [25cm] and The US Geological Survey said the main island of Japan had moved 7.8ft [2.4m]!

I suspect the death toll is going to rise quite dramatically. Very sad.

Apologies, not necesarily (sp) directing this at you, but this it to anyone in general who is in the know on such topics.

The fact that Japan has moved... does this mean that a) the Japanese land is just getting closer to say Korea/Russia? or b) the Earth itself has now got 7ft wider? (if that makes sense).

 

[VaderDSL]

I assume that the plate Japan rests on has moved, after all continents and plates are generally always in motion.

 

[BennyC]

#3 reactor cooling has failed and could explode (skynews 22:16)

linky please?

Sauce?

 

[LOAM]

an excellent explanation

Thanks Mr. J

 

[badcompany]

Sauce?

watch Sky News
http://news.sky.com/skynews/