Japan: Fukushima No. 2 reactor temperature up to 82C, but not critical: TEPCO

Mainichi Shimbun ^ | 02/12/12

[chimera]

This is from today's newsfeed at Atomic Power Review:

"Fukushima Daiichi No. 2 temperature update

This writer's assumption of February 7 seems now confirmed by TEPCO, who are now saying that the high-reading instrument near the bottom of the reactor vessel at their 1F-2 plant is likely failed. The detector has failed a resistance check performed by TEPCO, meaning that the indication is confirmed incorrect.

It is thus safe to disregard this one outlier in terms of temperature readings at 1F-2 and continue to consider the state as announced previously by TEPCO and the Japanese government as essentially 'cold shutdown.'"

Basically confirmation that the instrument has failed and is giving false readings. I called it as well. So much for the "uncontrolled criticality" fearmongers, who have been wrong all along.

[muawiyah]

Not really wrong, but quite untrusting of the officials in charge of this one. Their final judgment on whether or not it was a failed thermocouple or something else was based on the fact the plant hadn't gone critical yet!

They're doing it by the seat of the pants ~ not with hard, cold logic and reason based on a full understanding of the processes they're herding like cats.

One report a year ago (based on TEPCO data) said there may well be 600,000 spent fuel rods AT THIS SITE underneath the reactors.

I guess that was a smart thing to do ~ so that when they get a meltdown....... well, maybe that doesn't go critical either!

I'm adding you to a thread where the topic is EARTHQUAKES and how we might well be able to build earthquake proof facilities ~ by making them INVISIBLE to wave forms generated by earthquakes. Thought you might like to see what the mathematicians and geologists are coming up with.

[chimera]

Do you know what “critical” means, from a reactor physics viewpoint, in a chain-reacting system? From the moment these reactors shut down, which happened immediately upon sensing of the seismic event, there has been absolutely no credible evidence to indicate that they have been anything other than subcritical (i.e., shut down from the aspect of neutron multiplication). The neutron monitors have shown no evidence of criticality, and many of these are extremely sensitive, down into the range of 1E-9 % of full power.

[muawiyah]

You need to tell that to the guys running the show who keep telling us about it no longer being critical, not yet critical, has not returned to critical, etc.

I don't think there can be so many instances of this type of language and it merely be my fault for not understanding ~ these things are NEVER supposed to go critical under these conditions, nor be capable of returning to criticality!

Mine is a world of correct grammar and perfect spelling. Words have meanings. Nuance has implications.

And what about the 600,000 spent nuclear fuel rods?

[chimera]

Criticality accidents are extremely rare, but a few have happened, so it is not unheard of in this business. But such has not been the case here. There has been no credible evidence of uncontrolled criticality in either the damaged core or the fuel storage pools.

As far as the "600,000 spent fuel rods", I'm not afraid of them. Why? Because I understand the science, I am a grown up and scare stories for the kiddies don't frighten me anymore. I've been around similar used fuel storage pools and nothing bad happened, nor will it happen. The hysterical fear-mongering "reports" right after this event were falsehoods such as "the fuel pool went critical". It did not. Another rumor said that the pool had "caught fire". It didn't. Another said the fuel pool "went dry". It didn't. Another said it had collapsed to the building floor. It didn't. There has been fear monger after fear monger put forth lies and scare mongering rumors, none of which has proved true! The number of liars among the fear mongers vastly outnumbers any "lies" from TEPCO or the Japanese government!! And those have caused more harm than any radiation release has!!!!!!

(See, others can use exclamation points too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)