The Nuclear Reactor situation in Japan.

[DeCi]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134600420

So I'm sure almost all of you have heard of this by now, but I can't think of a reason for the life of me why we're getting so many mixed reports. U.S. will report a meltdown is inevitable, then the japanese gov. will deny it, or say everything is fine. Pretty fucked situation if you ask me.

[pikachu]

I can't think of a reason for the life of me why we're getting so many mixed reports

Right there:

the japanese gov. will deny it

[Colby]

Iv head they are pumping sea water in to cool it as the last resort, but they said they think the temp might be at the no return point in which the water would just create a crust around the core while the core melt.

ALSO iv heard if it does meltdown the radiation would hit the jet stream and make its way to Vancouver =[

[K i n g o f K i n g s]

Iv head they are pumping sea water in to cool it as the last resort, but they said they think the temp might be at the no return point in which the water would just create a crust around the core while the core melt.

ALSO iv heard if it does meltdown the radiation would hit the jet stream and make its way to Vancouver =[

There have already been three melt downs. This would be the fourth.

[Tagban]

I really hope everything comes under control. At this point, a nuclear melt down, will likely affect everyone world wide.

That and the fact that the one game I enjoy playing right now is hosted in japan, and due to power constraints they had to shutdown their servers to save lives.

[pikachu]

I think we can irrefutably say this is already going to affect the international community.  Japan has one of the largest economies in the world.

[Horse]

I really hope everything comes under control. At this point, a nuclear melt down, will likely affect everyone world wide.

That and the fact that the one game I enjoy playing right now is hosted in japan, and due to power constraints they had to shutdown their servers to save lives.

what game do you play

[Anti-Liberal]

That article pretty much sums up this dire and grave situation.

I would also like to add that the protective casing of the spent fuel pool is designed to remain intact following an earthquake; however, it is not designed to withstand aircraft impacts and explosive forces. Also, it is less likely for water to drain out of the spent fuel pool when its floor or walls are damaged than if it were located above ground. In this case, though, hydrogen explosions and the fact that the spent fuel pools are located above the ground in Fukushima have compromised the protective concrete encasing of the spent fuel pools. Since the uranium in the spent fuel pools have a half-life of billions of years, they relentlessly release heat and radiation for years; thus, this requires the use of water or boric acid to prevent them from melting and emitting dangerous amounts of radiation. There is virtually no other place to store the spent fuel pool outside of the reactors due to this fact. Also, I think that one of the reactors in the Fukushima plant stores more than 500 of these fuel rods.

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission study predicted that a waste pool fire could render a 188-square-mile area “uninhabitable” and do $59 billion worth of damage due to radiation.

By dosing the reactor vessels with seawater, it has only escalated the problems because sodium chloride has further corroded the steel encasing of the inner containment vessels.

So, the only viable two counter-measures left available to the Japanese are to, in my opinion:

1) Lay a temporary power line to the Fukushima Daiichi plant to help restore the reactor cooling systems so that the electric-powered pumps can cool down the overheating reactors to stable temperatures;

2) If all else fails, entomb the reactors with sand and concrete to limit the amount of radiation being released when the reactors do have a full-scale meltdown. Though, this would require suicide missions from the plant workers since they would be exposed to extreme radiation.

I'm not entirely sure if some radiation has already leaked from the bottom of a suppression pool that was partially breached two days ago; if that's the case, then the water table for some parts of Japan may be contaminated.

By the way, this nuclear crisis has had its level raised from "4' to "6" on a scale from 1-7, with the Chernobyl incident being a "7." This is just very tragic. =[

[DeCi]

yeah it's just weird though because there are reports of high radiation leaks already occurring, and the Japanese gov. denies it. you'd figure the general safety of their people (even though it would cause panic to an extent) would be more important than pretending the situation is under control.

but for their sake, I hope none of the reactors fully melt down. whenever i hear about the death toll, it increases by at least 500-1,000 every time i read something new and it's fucking depressing.

edit: some new news:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/japan-tsunami/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503051&objectid=10712802

[Tagban]

Reply to Horse: FFXI

[Gloss]

so by any chance is anyone signed up that used to live in japan on these forums? like is anyone missing?

[Horse]

Reply to Horse: FFXI

I play FFXIV and it's down too

[agentsix1]

dude wats happening in japan is crazy sh!t al tho its rather terrible

[Tagban]

Reply to Horse: FFXI

I play FFXIV and it's down too

Thats cool, which server? I play on Wutai as "Quest Redwind"

[Anti-Liberal]

For those wondering if the radioactive fallout will impact the Western US coast or Canada, some of the particles will propagate eastward with the easterly prevailing winds across the Pacific Ocean over time. However, it's expected that the radioactive concentration of those particles will be extremely low; so, it is very unlikely that public health will be harmed.

Think about this analogy: Some of us in the United States are exposed to more radiation emitted by graphite-based buildings per year than any radiation we will absorb from Japan; but neither of which are harmful to our health.

[Horse]

Reply to Horse: FFXI

I play FFXIV and it's down too

Thats cool, which server? I play on Wutai as "Quest Redwind"

I play on Lindblum as "Horse Horse"