What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

dxmnkd316 said:
I tend to agree. While hydrogen is highly flammable, it's nothing like an ammonium nitrate explosion where the expansion factor is orders of magnitude larger.

Plus those walls are reinforced concrete multiple feet thick. While not indestructible, it would take one hell of a blast to really do some damage. I would think...
Click to expand...

Well, outside of the steel containment vessels. It would take way more than an H2/O2 explosion to rupture them.

Also, even if isotopes of hydrogen and nitrogen are released, the half life is so short, it poses no risk.

Again, all of this "news" misses the big picture of this disaster.

BTW, I'd like to know the background of this MIT source, and compare it to the Nuclear Engineer Professor source from OSU that was on "All Things Considered." They did their best to find some crazy fear thing, but he couldn't come up with one, knowing how this, and many reactors just like it, are designed. He just happened to be at a reactor risk assesment conference, covering earthquakes- totally by chance.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

this is what I'm reading now. when reactor #3 blew (hydrogen explosion) it tore a hole in the building of #2. so #2 was venting its hydrogen gas. this could possibly be a steam explosion. ???
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

ARRGGGHH!!! There is so much misinformation out there and I can't help but feel things are literally being lost in translation. I have no idea what to believe anymore. Seriously, every news organization is trumping this up to be a precursor to a Bikini Atoll catastrophe. I hate news organizations. I wish they had some integrity and would bring on some actual nuclear engineers who understand what's going on instead of trying to go all:

oh-noes-everybody-panic.gif
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

its very hard to tell if this is chicken little news reporting or if something very serious is going on.

poor poor Japanese people!
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

dxmnkd316 said:
ARRGGGHH!!! There is so much misinformation out there and I can't help but feel things are literally being lost in translation. I have no idea what to believe anymore. Seriously, every news organization is trumping this up to be a precursor to a Bikini Atoll catastrophe. I hate news organizations. I wish they had some integrity and would bring on some actual nuclear engineers who understand what's going on instead of trying to go all:

oh-noes-everybody-panic.gif
Click to expand...

and to add to that apparently this TEPCo organization has a bad record for truth telling...
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

Actually, lets put this into some perspective...

Lets say that the reactor does a Cheyrnoble (and it won't, since the reactors are not the same what so ever).

There, a large town was abandoned- 360k people, and 60 workers died as a direct result. Not sure how many lived shorter lives, but call it a few thousand.


And IF that exact same number happened here.

Compare that with the people who are now displaced with no shelter at all- between the earthquake and tsunami. Compare that with the loss of lives- I've see that 1,000 people washed up on shore. We won't know the loss of lives for many months, but I bet it will reach well into the 10k's. We have no idea how people will survive with little clean water, ruined infrustrutre, little food movement, virtually no shelter, and a week more of winter to survive in.

Forgive me for thinking this- but it sure seems as if the earthquake and tsunami were, and continue to be a LOT worse than the reactor could possibly be.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

huskyfan said:
and to add to that apparently this TEPCo organization has a bad record for truth telling...
Click to expand...

To be honest, and this is probably going to come off in the wrong way, but I don't trust American companies at all. I trust Japanese companies less. They don't admit failure. Period.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

alfablue said:
Actually, lets put this into some perspective...

Lets say that the reactor does a Cheyrnoble (and it won't, since the reactors are not the same what so ever).

There, a large town was abandoned- 360k people, and 60 workers died as a direct result. Not sure how many lived shorter lives, but call it a few thousand.


And IF that exact same number happened here.

Compare that with the people who are now displaced with no shelter at all- between the earthquake and tsunami. Compare that with the loss of lives- I've see that 1,000 people washed up on shore. We won't know the loss of lives for many months, but I bet it will reach well into the 10k's. We have no idea how people will survive with little clean water, ruined infrustrutre, little food movement, virtually no shelter, and a week more of winter to survive in.

Forgive me for thinking this- but it sure seems as if the earthquake and tsunami were, and continue to be a LOT worse than the reactor could possibly be.
Click to expand...

This, this, this, this, and this.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

the Japan PM is going to address the nation. hopefully he gives the straight story.

talk about the sky is falling - iodine has sold out in Vancouver!
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

huskyfan said:
the Japan PM is going to address the nation. hopefully he gives the straight story.

talk about the sky is falling - iodine has sold out in Vancouver!
Click to expand...

In Vancouver?!? Jeebus. I used to give the nucks SOME credit....
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

bigmrg74 said:
You're in one of the most earthquake and tsunami prone area in the world and you don't have insurance to protect against that??
Click to expand...

I hope somebody else already said this... you aren't going to get an insurance policy for something like that.

---

alfa... i've seen some run this against the "numbers" attributable to coal (since these numbers are usually determined in statistical studies and not from direct observation itself)... really, its not even close. I really wish the nuclear industry, for whatever it is, started doing PSAs on how they work etc... I know there's a cartoon series out there... I can't find it.
 
Last edited:
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

possible explosion at #4. along with a fire. bloggers 70 miles away say they are being told to stay inside.

what is going on?

how bad could this get?
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

I try to avoid Al Jazeera. Considering that TEPCO is Asia's biggest electric power utility comp. they probably were self insured for those scenarios. The premiums would have been high (for obvious reasons) and they figured (wrongly) the probability low so they self insured. Lots of big corporations do that.

Being a Risk Engineer, I can tell you that not 'every other' business thinks insurance and risk mangt is a waste. Quite the opposite really.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

alfablue said:
Actually, lets put this into some perspective...

Lets say that the reactor does a Cheyrnoble (and it won't, since the reactors are not the same what so ever).

There, a large town was abandoned- 360k people, and 60 workers died as a direct result. Not sure how many lived shorter lives, but call it a few thousand.


And IF that exact same number happened here.

Compare that with the people who are now displaced with no shelter at all- between the earthquake and tsunami. Compare that with the loss of lives- I've see that 1,000 people washed up on shore. We won't know the loss of lives for many months, but I bet it will reach well into the 10k's. We have no idea how people will survive with little clean water, ruined infrustrutre, little food movement, virtually no shelter, and a week more of winter to survive in.

Forgive me for thinking this- but it sure seems as if the earthquake and tsunami were, and continue to be a LOT worse than the reactor could possibly be.
Click to expand...

This is my opinion as well. I studied Chernobyl before going to Kiev and seeing the Chernobyl museum (which is largely kept secret from the public). Your numbers are pretty good. Although it seemed to hang over Kiev...casualties were surprisingly low. It does appear that the tsunamis casualties appear 10k or more...while the nuclear plants will do more psychological damage. Sadly, it appears another generation of Japanese will feel pain.
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

dxmnkd316 said:
In Vancouver?!? Jeebus. I used to give the nucks SOME credit....
Click to expand...
I guess to put in prespective, I live a lot closer and I just thought "I should look into to getting some iodine tablets...."
 
Re: Japan hit by 8.9 Magnitude Quake, Tsunami Warnings In Effect

Also, if they have been venting hydrogen gas, then they haven't reached the setpoints of the safety relief valves. And those are well below the Maximum Allowed Working Pressure the Rx vessel was designed for. So I doubt there was a steam explosion.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top