8.9 Earthquake hits Japan

[Trip]

Originally Posted by derf

Hey I have another dumb question, keeping in mind that I'm not a nuclear scientist or anything like that, but if the big problem was running electrical lines, why isnt there a set of ready to hook up lines buried somewhere, where they can pull a couple of super industrial sized generators right up there and hook up, start running power, and go from there?

I mean I know that they cant fix every problem that may ever occur, but that kinda seems obvious.

These are high voltage power lines. 161kV+

They did bring in mobile diesel generators, it's just they don't supply enough amperage to run much and eat fuel like a mother fucker.

One 161kV line can power a fuck load of shit and requires no refueling onsite. The grid will keep the juice flowing and they can focus on stabilizing the plant instead of worrying about getting fuel out there.

Originally Posted by Papa_Complex

As I understand it, they had exactly that. It was already hooked up to a set of super industrial sized generators, that got trashed in the tsunami. What you're talking about is just too big for it to be trucked in at a whim, even if the roads and infrastructure was still intact (which it wasn't), except maybe in a Godzilla movie.

Those are the emergency diesel generators. They are there to allow time to restore offsite power. You don't want to run on only them if you can help it. They are there to buy you time to restore offsite power.

Tsunami took them out. They were designed to survive a Tsunami a few meters lower.

[Trip]

By the way, they got power to Units 5-6. They were able to get a diesel up and running and looks like power will be on at 2 soon.

Status of Fukushima plants

In Japan, engineers have laid a power line that can connect reactor 2 of the Daiichi facility to the off-site power grid, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported. Workers are working to reconnect the power to reactor 2 after they complete spraying water into the reactor 3 complex to provide additional cooling to the used fuel pool. Reconnecting to the power grid is expected to enhance efforts to prevent further damage at the plant.

Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency reported on Thursday that the backup diesel generator for reactor 6 is working and supplying electricity to reactors 5 and 6. TEPCO is preparing to add water to the storage pools that house used nuclear fuel rods at those two reactors.

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Trip

These are high voltage power lines. 161kV+

They did bring in mobile diesel generators, it's just they don't supply enough amperage to run much and eat fuel like a mother fucker.

One 161kV line can power a fuck load of shit and requires no refueling onsite. The grid will keep the juice flowing and they can focus on stabilizing the plant instead of worrying about getting fuel out there.



Those are the emergency diesel generators. They are there to allow time to restore offsite power. You don't want to run on only them if you can help it. They are there to buy you time to restore offsite power.

Tsunami took them out. They were designed to survive a Tsunami a few meters lower.

As I understand it their most urgent need for power has been to run the pumps to get cooling water to the reactor cores. That being the case, is there anything in their electrical system that demands that kind of unique power or is it just done for more efficiency? Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but
if it were possible to use some more common generators it could have saved a whole lot of headaches. I'm not talking about something from the local Home Depot, but we do have a ton of military over there. I suspect they have some pretty powerful generators along with the helicopters to put them wherever they want.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by goof2

As I understand it their most urgent need for power has been to run the pumps to get cooling water to the reactor cores. That being the case, is there anything in their electrical system that demands that kind of unique power or is it just done for more efficiency? Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but
if it were possible to use some more common generators it could have saved a whole lot of headaches. I'm not talking about something from the local Home Depot, but we do have a ton of military over there. I suspect they have some pretty powerful generators along with the helicopters to put them wherever they want.

Yeah, we can truck in mobile diesel generators. They may just not had ones close enough to hook up that would be worth a damn.

[tallywacker]

Yeah the generators they need were the connex contained diesel engine type like CAT makes and other companies, they would need to be trucked in. Glad to hear good news.

[derf]

good infographic about radiation

[EpyonXero]

New video. Pretty intense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct9GE...layer_embedded

[Papa_Complex]

This one looks like a serious brown trousers issue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bkNg...embedded#at=40

[OneSickPsycho]

Worst fucking cameraman in the history of the world.

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by OneSickPsycho

Worst fucking cameraman in the history of the world.

Doubt he was going for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography