Japan, and other Asian nations might be spared from radiation contamination, for now. Winds are currently blowing towards the southeast. Over the next couple of days it’s expected to blow easterly. This will take radiation out over the Pacific Ocean.
Earlier press conference it was disclosed that reactor 3, Fukushima Daiichi plant, had reached its “limits”. Gamma radiation detected.
Officials have also stated that the use of sea water had damaged cooling pumps, which is why they had to replace them.
Reactors 5 & 6 spent fuel rod pools are showing increasing temperature. At the current rate of heat build up, they believe the pools could hit boiling within a week. This is why they are trying to connect new power lines to the plant, in order to restart coolant pumps.
17MAR2011
The situation in Japan, with Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, is similar to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, in that nuclear fuel was exposed. The Japanese are trying to deal with the situation by dumping water onto the reactors and spent fuel pools. At this point only partial melting of fuel rods have occurred. How did the Soviets deal with Chernobyl, where full melt down of the entire reactor took place?
CNES SPOT/EOSAT satellite image, 1986.
After a series of attempts to restrain the nuclear melt down failed, resulting literally in melting of the reactor (in the U.S. it’s called China Syndrome, because jokingly it was said it would melt it’s way to China), the Soviets began to air drop sand, lead and boric acid. 5,000 metric tons worth in one week! The reactor was eventually sealed in a concrete coffin.
Most people working to fight the Chernobyl disaster died from radiation exposure. One firefighter said it felt like pins & needles on his face, and the air tasted like metal, then he died. Most of the vehicles used are still parked at the Chernobyl compound.
Soviet scientist were concerned with the melting reactor reaching ground water. They decided to pour huge amounts of concrete in the bottom of the reactor building, which seems to have worked.
For perspective: Chernobyl was ONE reactor, no spent fuel pools. Japan is dealing, officially, with SIX reactors & their spent fuel pools (1,000+ fuel rods).
Fukushima 2011: JAPAN DISASTER START OF GLOBAL GREAT DEPRESSION
IDAHO NATIONAL LABRATORY WATCHING EVENTS IN JAPAN, SEA WATER MAY NOT WORK
JAPAN QUAKE = NO ECONOMIC RECOVERY
To put the cooling situation in perspective, an analyst in Japan pointed out that each water drop by helicopter, drops about 7 tons of water.
The spent fuel pools/ponds use up to 2000 tons of water (yes, 2000 tons). It is clear that even with several drops, it is not enough. Plant officials reported that most coolant had evaporated or boiled off. This means the ponds are dry.
For a third day, the DOW fell big, along with other U.S. stock markets. Stock markets around the world being affected. This is because Japan has become the “parts” supplier to the global economy. Auto parts to electronic chips are made in Japan. This production has come to a virtual stand still. One analyst said that if this situation lasts a few weeks (best case) consumers can expect noticeable increases in prices.
It must be remembered that the Great Depression, that hit the United States in the 1930s, was not solely caused by the investment/finance crash of ’29. What put the U.S. into a Great Depression was the loss of its main industry at the time; agriculture. Because of the quake, tsunami, and now nuclear disaster, Japan has essentially lost its main industries.
Until the Second World War, agriculture was the biggest industry in the U.S. Most Americans worked in farming, or agriculture related jobs. The industry was hit by a disaster that was a combination of Mother Earth, and man made. The plain states, and mid west, had been dealing with a major drought, and, farming techniques destroyed the top soil. This is where the term “Dust Bowl” came from.
The result was that hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their jobs and their homes, just from the collapse of the agriculture industry. Combined with the losses of the finance/investment industries (which affected manufacturing) this created the Great Depression.
The World is already in a major financial crisis, bigger than what hit the world prior to the Great Depression in the U.S. (other countries, like Germany had already experience a depression). Now we have the natural/man made disasters that could push the World into a Great Depression.
Never before have the economies of the World been so tied together. We have a dominoes situation. Japan, being a major parts supplier, could be the dominoe that starts the fall.
Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, says nuclear danger area expanded to 80km (50 miles).
Reports that the U.S. has expanded the area to 90km, Edano could not confirm.
Edano also asking all medical personnel in Japan to prepare to help. Expectant women have priority.
Japan Defense Minister, Toshimi Kitazawa, just said that radiation levels at Fukushima Daiichi are too high to safely conduct ground operations, as well as aerial operations. Despite the dangerous radiation levels, the situation is so bad that they have decide to re-start cooling operations.
At an altitude of 300 meters (984 feet), 87.7 millisieverts (87,7oo microsieverts) were read.
Police spraying water from their riot control trucks. Japanese Self Defense Forces are bringing in more water trucks, which are being supplied by the U.S. military. The plan is to alternate between ground and air water spraying.
Spraying with trucks being done from outside the plant because ground radiation levels are too high to get people on site.
Officials at INL are watching events in Japan very carefully. The INL has their own reactor, and it is the location for the first nuclear plant in the United States.
The INL continues to be active in nuclear power, and clean up, applications.
INL officials say the use of sea water to cool nuclear reactors has never been done before. It is a true last ditch effort.
Japanese officials saying all six reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, are in trouble, but the immediate, and most serious situation are reactor 3 & 4. This is because spent fuel rods are overheating, or on fire.
Police from Tokyo have begun using their riot control water trucks to spray water on reactor 4, Fukushima Daiichi.
The JSDF has resumed dropping water on reactor 3, despite high radiation levels. Officials say the overheating situation has become so bad that they had no choice but to have helicopter crews be exposed to high levels of radiation.
Officials say workers on the ground, and helicopter crews are wearing protective clothing. A lead plate has been attached to the bottom of the CH-47 copter. Officials say reactor 3 requires at least hundreds of dumps of water from helicopters. This is a logistical problem, regardless of the radiation, which is why they have brought in police, and fire, water trucks. Another 11 water trucks are heading to the plant.