Alarm In Tehran & Moscow Over Bushehr Nuclear Reactor’s Near-Explosion

Debkafiles ^ | December 1, 2012, 13:13

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I may forward this to a cousin in Germany that told me that “iran is no problem.” Stupid Lib...now maybe she’ll change her tune..Germany is a lot closer to Iran than the US.Ha.

[DesertRhino]

When they say “explosion”, do they mean a true nuclear blast? Or a scattering of radioactive crap. I’m wondering because the article mentions a million would have nee killed on a blast and the resulting radiation.
I was under the impression that reactors like this really couldn’t reach critical mass, quickly enough to detonate in a true nuclear blast. That they would always end in a fizzle and meltdown that spreads nasty stuff around.

[DesertRhino]

When they say “explosion”, do they mean a true nuclear blast? Or a scattering of radioactive crap. I’m wondering because the article mentions a million would have nee killed on a blast and the resulting radiation.
I was under the impression that reactors like this really couldn’t reach critical mass, quickly enough to detonate in a true nuclear blast. That they would always end in a fizzle and meltdown that spreads nasty stuff around.

[DoughtyOne]

Russia is helping to send Iran into total planetary nutcase territory. Surely it can’t believe this is a good idea even for them.

Wait until the Muslem Brotherhood shows up on their doorstep, armed with presents from Uncle Iranovoskovitch.

I predict Russia gets hit with one of the Iran offshoot nukes before we do. Karma’s a bitch...

[DIRTYSECRET]

It won’t change her mind.

[DesertRhino]

When they say “explosion”, do they mean a true nuclear blast? Or a scattering of radioactive crap. I’m wondering because the article mentions a million would have nee killed on a blast and the resulting radiation.
I was under the impression that reactors like this really couldn’t reach critical mass, quickly enough to detonate in a true nuclear blast. That they would always end in a fizzle and meltdown that spreads nasty stuff around.

[DesertRhino]

Sorry for the multiple posts!

[tanknetter]

When they say “explosion”, do they mean a true nuclear blast? Or a scattering of radioactive crap.

Chernobyl-style explosion where rapid and sustained buildup of pressure blows up the reactor vessel and scatters radioactive crap.

Nuclear reactors don't have the ability to go critical at the level necessary to achieve a nuclear blast. Nuclear explosions, in their simplest form, require weapons-grade material (uranium or plutonium) to be almost instantly compressed to the point of critical mass. In single-stage weapons (for the sake of brevity I'm not going to go into two-stage/multiple stage thermonuclear weapons aka hydrogen bombs) this happens either gun style (one piece of enriched material is shot into another piece at a very high velocity - as with the Hiroshima/Little Boy bomb) or compression (a core of enriched material is surrounded by shaped charge explosives that are detonated to compress the core into critical mass - as with the Nagasaki/Fat Man bomb).

In nuclear reactors enriched material is brought into close enough proximity to other enriched material to create energy (heat) that is then used to boil water into steam. In a nuclear event the material gets too close/for too long or even touches, causing massive amounts of energy/heat that boils off the water too fast (causing pressure to build for a steam explosion that hauls radioactive material up into the steam cloud that results) and starts melting everything around it.

[BenLurkin]

Not to worry Prez Hussein says he can be “more flexible” now for the Russians.

[Pikachu_Dad]

Your posting reached critical mass...

[samadams2000]

I sure hope the iranians (small i used to denote disrespect) don’t find out that the russians are in on the sabotage.

[jungleboy]

SCRAM

[Olog-hai]

Not likely that they are.

[Slings and Arrows]

I hope this isn't another pile of debka, but just in case it isn't...

Mazel tov! ;^)

[Uri’el-2012]

Chernobyl-style explosion where rapid and sustained buildup of pressure blows up the reactor vessel and scatters radioactive crap.

That is my understanding as well !

[PAR35]

The Stuxnet virus which attacked Iran’s nuclear program two years ago was back and had tampered with the reactor’s computers.

First we had wild SUVs attacking. Now we have computers dropping bolts into a sealed chamber.

[RadiationRomeo]

Debkafiles stories are mostly crap.

[bgill]

Chernobyl Part Deux.

[octex]

I appreciate your posting #9. It was clear enough for those of us not familiar with the subject to understand.