Thanks for your post. I’ve also watched another report.
They were considering using helicopters through the roof to cool, but decided against it. So, not sure if roof integrity is a hindrance or an opportunity.
If the roof crack significance is an avenue for leakage, I would think the large holes in the walls would be enough anyway.
Perhaps it is a worry of roof collapse.
Or maybe the headline of roof crack is of little meaning other than another excuse for a headline.
I appreciate the information and effort of your post.
Good observations. I’m hearing that they’re going to try again (with water and boric acid). If this site is right, it’s as you mentioned:
“...Both units 1 and 3 have no roof after earlier blasts, making it easy to dump water onto them, he said. Unit 4 has holes in the building, allowing fire trucks to spray water inside...”
But I’m not sure if this will present any problems with the design of the reactor:
“...Boric acid contains boron, which helps slow nuclear reactions by absorbing neutrons, said Naj Meshkati, a nuclear power plant safety expert at the University of Southern California. But the same acid also melted away steel when it was used repeatedly at a troubled northern Ohio nuclear plant.”
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110315/110315_japan_quake/20110315/?hub=CP24Home