Fukushima Daiichi; photo | 39 comments (39 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 0)

The first of what you wrote.

Tokyo Electric says temperatures at the bottom of the reactor are between 100 and 120 degrees Celsius, suggesting that the fuel has fallen and is being cooled in the water below.

The utility says it does not believe the fuel has completely melted and spilled through the bottom of the reactor. It adds that instead, the fuel appears to be being cooled inside the reactor.

But maybe these are premature conclusions: the new makeshift water level gages might have been unfit for the purpose, too.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu May 12th, 2011 at 12:31:16 PM EST
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Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 1)

well no doubt TEPCO will withdraw these readings and apologise for the terrible mistake they have made in reporting this sometime tomorrow

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu May 12th, 2011 at 12:52:40 PM EST
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Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 1)

Probably an hour or so after Kan declares that nuclear power has been a disaster for the country, and that Japan is firmly committed to a nuclear future.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu May 12th, 2011 at 01:07:53 PM EST
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Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 1)

I know from practice that an awful lot of factors can give you a false reading when you attempt measurements with non-standard equipment under non-standard circumstances. Only the uncertainty here can have grave consequences...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu May 12th, 2011 at 01:53:48 PM EST
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Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 0)

Had a visitor today who used to work for a large Steel company, pre-retirement he was a specialist in ultrasonic examination of produced steel. he was talking about stress cracks in rail tracks, cracks in reactor pressure vessels and the time they were given unloaded reactor fuel tube material to test to see if it was possible for them to find a hole 15 thousandths of an inch across that had been made in the material. They explained that it would not be possible at steel production speeds of 20 feet per minute. The Nuke people said that wouldn't be a problem as their tube speeds were measured in inches per hour.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Thu May 12th, 2011 at 02:48:47 PM EST
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Re: Fukushima Daiichi; photo (none / 1)

Reactor 1 fuel rods melted, sank to bottom | The Japan Times Online