Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
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Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
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Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#2Strange... I didn't see this story on the new page and submitted after you and it posted a new version instead of auto-voting for yours. I didn't think HN would do that. Going to go delete that version now…
This is the most coherent description of the issues and events that I've read (and I've read a few). I learned a lot about BWR nuclear plants.
Some people here in Tokyo are starting to get very nervous and mostly that comes because nuclear power is so damn confusing. Understanding it can help you keep your wits. They are showing documentaries on Japanese TV about the cause of the tsunami right now but I think they should be showing "Nuclear Power 101" instead.
Edit: Another thing that is causing a lot of confusion is that there are two power plants that were affected (daiichi and daini) and each plant has multiple reactors. They were both operated by TEPCO as well so the press releases are coming from the same place. Keeping track of all of them is a bit confusing. This article is mostly about the most serious problem which is reactor one at daiichi.
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#3Excellent writeup.
I've been telling people this all day, but it's great to have a PhD confirm it.
BTW, with Chernobyl the control rods were not able to be inserted all the way, which is one of the main reasons it was so bad - the chain reaction never stopped, and the heat just kept building up.
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#4good comment from there:
I wonder how the news that two reactors are in partial meltdown, six out of ten are without any cooling and in the japanese prefecture of Miyagi Sunday radiation levels 400 times above normal have been measured fit in your “analysis” that the situation is now under control.
do people really need to jump to conclusions as the situation is still in development?
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#5Excellent writeup. I've been telling people this all day, but it's great to have a PhD confirm it. BTW, with Chernobyl the control rods were not able to be inserted all the way, which is one of the main reasons it was so bad - the chain reaction never stopped, and the heat just kept building up.
It would be better if his PhD or his research were in a domain anywhere close to what he is talking about. Also, it would be better if the information he has where not only what is said in the news... People knowing what they talk about are really, really scared about the nuclear situation in Japan right now.
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#6He says that even in the case of a total meltdown (which hopefully will not happen in Fukushima) we will be save because everything will be contained in the third containment.
What I don't get is how cooling is supposed to happen in this case. I think they still would have to pump sea water into the containment which would then get contaminated not only by neutron activation but also with Uranium, Cesium, Iodine etc.
What happens to the seawater then: Will it be released into the environment? Is it in liquid form or will it be released as steam?
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#7My high school class in Switzerland was chosen for the yearly measurement of radioactivity in the population. The graphs they showed us as intro were interesting. Basically they start in the mid-60's and were going down. The level then flatlined at zero for many years. Then Chernobyl came and was a small blip something like 5x less than the 60's level.
Turns out a complete meltdown of a civilian reactor a few thousand miles away matters less than open air explosion of multi-megaton bombs on the other side of the world, which was the cause for the 60's levels.
Not that I wish nuclear meltdown on anyone, but the above seems to me to suggest that on a worldwide scale it wouldn't have much of an impact.
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#8Excellent writeup. I've been telling people this all day, but it's great to have a PhD confirm it. BTW, with Chernobyl the control rods were not able to be inserted all the way, which is one of the main reasons it was so bad - the chain reaction never stopped, and the heat just kept building up.
While the article was a decent read, he is not an expert in this field. His work is in Supply Chain/Management
http://lean.mit.edu/about/lai-structure/faculty-researchers-...
Where does he get his expertise in nuclear reactors? According to the article, his father.
"He is a PhD Scientist, whose father has extensive experience in Germany’s nuclear industry"
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#9i like it when scientists say "the situation is under control" after the roof was bombed off.
Re: Why I am not worried about Japan’s nuclear reactors
#10good comment from there: I wonder how the news that two reactors are in partial meltdown, six out of ten are without any cooling and in the japanese prefecture of Miyagi Sunday radiation levels 400 times above normal have been measured fit in your “analysis” that the situation is now under control. do people really need to jump to conclusions as the situation is still in development?
Logarithmic scales tho', innit. Is 400x actually significant?
Remember at Three Mile Island everyone got a dose of radiation that you'd get going to the dentist, and that's considered to be a "disaster".