[Japan] URGENT: Gov't eyes injecting nitrogen into reactor vessels to prevent blasts

Kyodo News ^ | 04/01/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

URGENT: Gov't eyes injecting nitrogen into reactor vessels to prevent blasts

TOKYO, April 1, Kyodo

The government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. are considering injecting nitrogen into containment vessels of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's reactors to prevent hydrogen explosions, government sources said Friday.

==Kyodo

[al baby]

A nitrogen bomb

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[TSgt]

Wow, this is FAR from over.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

This sounds ominous. Don’t be surprised that if later in the day, Japan announces displacement of the population from the current 30km to 300km from the nuclear plant site.

[babygene]

Sounds like a good Idea. Air is 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen, if you purge the reactor with nitrogen and make it 100% nitrogen then you won’t have an explosive mixture.

[dayglored]

I think the hydrogen is being GENERATED by the fuel rods, meaning they would have to inject nitrogen CONTINUOUSLY to displace the hydrogen.

Those rods take a long time to cool down. They gonna do this continuously for the next 10, 20, 30 years???

[Sacajaweau]

Wow....just browsing and read a couple of things...scarey

[Thrownatbirth]

Instead of an explosion, you just get a high-pitched squeal.

[babygene]

“I think the hydrogen is being GENERATED by the fuel rods, meaning they would have to inject nitrogen CONTINUOUSLY to displace the hydrogen.”

No, hydrogen in the reactor is not explosive unless there is oxygen present. The idea is to purge the reactor of oxygen thereby making it non explosive. You would just have to do it once. They wouldn’t have to use nitrogen, they could use CO2 instead.

[Red in Blue PA]

If one listens to Ann Coulter, this is actually a good thing.

[Christian Engineer Mass]

Hi-tech injection equipment:

[driftdiver]

The fuel rods super heat the water which causes it to separate into Hydrogen and Oxygen. Perhaps they are just trying to reduce the amount of oxygen.

[fred2008]

Radiation is not well understood by the general public.

For instance:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-01/hong-kong-radiation-exceeds-tokyo-even-after-japan-crisis.html

[Red in Blue PA]

I would venture a guess that most of the public has a better grasp of radiation that Ann Coulter.

Whent here are idiots in the party, they need to be called out.

[P-Marlowe]

They wouldn’t have to use nitrogen, they could use CO2 instead.

But they won't because that might contribute to global warming.

[Chi-townChief]

Move along ... nothing to see here.

[LuvFreeRepublic]

Has this news been reported by any other source?

[topher]

I vote for some liquid nitrogen injection...

At least it might provide some cooling at the same time.

Of course, Obama officials are proposing injecting liquid Oxygen [ /sarcasm off ]

[bagman]

No, the hydrogen is generated by a chemical reaction between the zirconium clad of the fuel rods and the steam. (Think of the clad as a hollow rod into which the uranium dioxide fuel pellets are inserted; the rod is then sealed after the pellets are all inserted).