8.9 Earthquake hits Japan

[tallywacker]

Originally Posted by Trip

I don't follow speculation. NRC reported it today.

It wasn't speculation, it was from the Japanese press releases from their government yesterday. Right now they discovered #3's pools are empty as well.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

great place for everything, the Japanese media.

Also http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html the power companies press releases.

We have a near 300page thread on www.offtopic.com dedicated to it. We have two reactor engineers on that site posting. Also many Japanese members translating to us.

You can't believe anything the US media is reporting, it's all wrong and retarded.

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by Trip

Things look extremely grim. Spent fuel pool of #4 is dry. This looks to be getting very very ugly.

No containment vessle.. shit.

Wonder how long those suckers had been cooling before all this happened...

[tallywacker]

Originally Posted by Particle Man

No containment vessle.. shit.

Wonder how long those suckers had been cooling before all this happened...

The containment vessel is still there. Its the pools that keep the spent rods in the higher levels of the containment building that are comprimised. Right now they are continuously using helicopters to dump water on them.

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by tallywacker

The containment vessel is still there. Its the pools that keep the spent rods in the higher levels of the containment building that are comprimised. Right now they are continuously using helicopters to dump water on them.

I For some reason I thought the spent rods weren't in containment vessels.

[tallywacker]

Originally Posted by Particle Man

I For some reason I thought the spent rods weren't in containment vessels.

You drunk man?

[Particle Man]

Originally Posted by tallywacker

You drunk man?

I wish.

Can't think - still sick.

[tallywacker]

SDF begins efforts to cool down nuclear plant

Two helicopters from Japan's Self-Defense Forces are dropping water on the Number Three building at the quake-damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The helicopters began dousing the damaged reactor-housing building at 9:48 AM on Thursday.

The SDF has dispatched two CH-47 helicopters equipped with a device for dropping 7.5 tons of water.

They're being accompanied by another helicopter that is measuring radiation levels above the plant. The first water-dropping operation was completed at around 10:15 AM.

Fears of radiation leaks are rising for the plant's two reactors, where water in the pool for spent nuclear fuel is believed to be vaporizing due to the failure of the cooling system.

This could expose the fuel rods, possibly causing them to melt and discharge radioactive material into the air. The government's emergency task force has asked the SDF and the police to cool down the reactor buildings by refilling the pool.

The SDF is also sending 11 high-pressure fire trucks from their bases across Japan to spray water on the reactor buildings.

A high-pressure fire truck from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is also set to begin spraying water onto the Number Four reactor building.

Thursday, March 17, 2011 10:34 +0900 (JST)

Water drop update.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by Particle Man

I For some reason I thought the spent rods weren't in containment vessels.

Uh, they are not, like he said. The spent rods are in pools outside of containment.

Tepco is now saying water is still in the spent fuel pool on 4

Crews began aerial water spraying operations from helicopters to cool reactor 3 at Fukushima Daiichi shortly before 9 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, March 16. The operation was planned for the previous day, but was postponed because of high radiation levels at the plant. News sources said temperatures at reactor 3 were rising. Each helicopter is capable of releasing 7.5 tons of water.

Spokesmen for TEPCO and Japan's regulatory agency, Nuclear and Industry Safety Agency, on March 17 Japan time refuted reports that there was a complete loss of cooling water in the used fuel pool at Fukushima Daiichi reactor 4.

The spokesmen said the situation at reactor 4 has changed little during the day today and water remained in the fuel pool. However, both officials said that the reactor had not been inspected in recent hours.

"We can't get inside to check, but we've been carefully watching the building's environs, and there has not been any particular problem," said TEPCO spokesman Hajime Motojuku.

At about 7 p.m. EDT, NISA spokesman Takumi Koyamada said the temperature reading from the used fuel pool on Wednesday was 84 degrees Celsius and that no change had been reported since then. Typically, used uranium fuel rods are stored in deep water pools at temperatures of about 30 degrees Celsius.

Recent radiation levels measured at the boundary of the Fukushima Daiichi plant have been dropping steadily over the past 12 hours, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said on Wednesday night (U.S. time).

At 4 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, a radiation level of 75 millirem per hour was recorded at the plant's main gate. At 4 p.m. EDT, the reading at one plant site gate was 34 millirem per hour. By comparison, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual radiation dose limit for the public is 100 millirem. Radiation readings are being taken every 30 minutes.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, said earlier today a radiation level of 33 millirem per hour was measured about 20 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi plant earlier this morning. He said that level does not pose an immediate health risk.

Edano said that TEPCO has resumed efforts to spray water into the used fuel pool at the damaged reactor 4.

TEPCO also continues efforts to restore offsite power to the plant, with up to 40 workers seeking to restore electricity to essential plant systems by Thursday morning, March 17.

[tallywacker]

Originally Posted by Trip

Uh, they are not, like he said. The spent rods are in pools outside of containment.

Tepco is now saying water is still in the spent fuel pool on 4

That's old, its Thursday morning in Japan.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-world-tv

Live press conference coming on there streaming from the defense minister in the next few minutes.

[tallywacker]

Its starting now