Japan: Core of Stricken Reactor Probably Leaked, U.S. Says

NYT ^ | 04/06/11 | MATTHEW L. WALD and ANDREW POLLACK

[TigerLikesRooster]

April 6, 2011

Core of Stricken Reactor Probably Leaked, U.S. Says

By MATTHEW L. WALD and ANDREW POLLACK

WASHINGTON — The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that some of the core of a stricken Japanese reactor had probably leaked from its steel pressure vessel into the bottom of the containment structure, implying that the damage was even worse than previously thought.

The statement came as the Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, started to inject nitrogen into the reactor containment vessel of unit No. 1 to prevent a possible explosion.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s statement regarded unit No. 2, and the agency underscored that its interpretation was speculative and based on high radiation readings that Tokyo Electric had found in the lower part of unit No. 2’s primary containment structure, called the drywell. The statement said that the commission “does not believe that the reactor vessel has given way, and we do believe practically all of the core remains in the vessel.”

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[allmost]

They spent too much effort trying to salvage the reactors initially. From my laymen’s viewpoint. Numerous countries have personnel ready on short notice to handle these insane situations. They should have asked for the ready and waiting assistance from the start IMO.

[Wolfie]

Nuclear Energy Advocates Insist U.S. Reactors Completely Safe Unless Something Bad Happens

WASHINGTON—Responding to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan, officials from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission sought Thursday to reassure nervous Americans that U.S. reactors were 100 percent safe and posed absolutely no threat to the public health as long as no unforeseeable system failure or sudden accident were to occur.

"With the advanced safeguards we have in place, the nuclear facilities in this country could never, ever become a danger like those in Japan, unless our generators malfunctioned in an unexpected yet catastrophic manner, causing the fuel rods to melt down," said NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko, insisting that nuclear power remained a clean, harmless energy source that could only lead to disaster if events were to unfold in the exact same way they did in Japan, or in a number of other terrifying and totally plausible scenarios that have taken place since the 1950s.

"When you consider all of our backup cooling processes, containment vessels, and contingency plans, you realize that, barring the fact that all of those safety measures could be wiped away in an instant by a natural disaster or electrical error, our reactors are indestructible." Jaczko added that U.S. nuclear power plants were also completely guarded against any and all terrorist attacks, except those no one could have predicted.

[mad_as_he$$]

No $hit. I said that two weeks ago. The stupid around this event is mind blowing.

[newzjunkey]

At yesterday hearing on the Japan nuclear disaster, Rep Ed Markey (D-MA) claimed the NRC had told him the core melted through the vessel.

NRC denied telling him this.

[newzjunkey]

Actually, early on we learned they asked for OUR help and Obama put unacceptable conditions on that request.

[newzjunkey]

I hope you realize that’s a piece from the Onion, a satire/parody site.

[Wolfie]

Yes, that’s why I included the link.

[allmost]

That just reenforced my point. The reactors were toast. They tried to save them to the point of refusing outside help. I disagree with just about everything obama does but, saving the plants was out of the question. Endangering the lives of our people. Wasting our time, effort, and resources for a fools errand is ridiculous.

[Red6]

I actually predicted the “Worse than reported/thought/believed story.”

Make a bet! Eventually we’ll hear the “Radiation or isotope detected in mothers/breast milk.”

[NonValueAdded]

"reassure nervous Americans that U.S. reactors were 100 percent safe and posed absolutely no threat to the public health as long as no unforeseeable system failure or sudden accident were to occur. "

[With a hat tip to Bill Clinton for the parsing lessons]

So, in other words, it is perfectly safe unless something goes wrong, then not so much.

[justa-hairyape]

Heads up. Latest quake knocked out 2 of the three power lines running to the Onagawa nuclear plant. That one is north of Fukushima and closer to the original earthquake actually. They still have one good external power line.

Onagawa nuclear plant loses part of outside power