shiat, I just found out about the second one.

So is a meltdown underway or not?

This is bad news... for Obama (new window), Japan

boobies

On no, is Gozirra!

Seriously though, this is bad news bears.

It's another reactor at the same facility as the first endangered reactor (this reactor is Daiichi #3, the first one to have trouble was Daiichi #1). emergency crews and resources are already on-site dealing with issues with reactor 1. nothing to see here, move along, move along.

INeedAName: On no, is Gozirra!

Actually, due to international copyright laws, it's not.

Obligatory

So appropriately named too... "Fuk-us-hima"

This thread is already Farked.

This is Obama's Hiroshima.

With all the crap going on here, you'd think the reactors were built by an American firm. A la "Lowest bid".

/Queue Steve Buscemi in "Armageddon".

okay, hold on, isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown, that is, completely stopping the reaction in a power plant? I thought they just pushed a button and the fuel rods were mechanically shoved into a block of lead, or graphite or something?

Ex-Texan: With all the crap going on here, you'd think the reactors were built by an American firm. A la "Lowest bid".

/Queue Steve Buscemi in "Armageddon".

Japan has a history of reactors and not being prepared.

has Obama made a statement yet? He needs to be on the dang news telling us all how safe OUR reactors are and how this couldn't happen here...or could it?

Ah shiny new thread!

Is scramming the reactor different than cooling it? Why not scram it?

thrgd456: has Obama made a statement yet? He needs to be on the dang news telling us all how safe OUR reactors are and how this couldn't happen here...or could it?

I'd hope we'd never be stupid enough to build nuclear reactors near major fault lines.

Uh, this is the second reactor. The first reactor to go was the No. 1 reactor. The second reactor to go was the No. 3 reactor.

Obligatory. (new window)

thrgd456: okay, hold on, isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown, that is, completely stopping the reaction in a power plant? I thought they just pushed a button and the fuel rods were mechanically shoved into a block of lead, or graphite or something?

More like liquidware, or the lack there of in this case.

At least we didn't do it this time.

Hankie Fest: MORE GODZILLA PICS PLEASE
WE JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH
IT'S SO CLEVER AND ORIGINAL



Happy biatch?

thrgd456: okay, hold on, isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown, that is, completely stopping the reaction in a power plant? I thought they just pushed a button and the fuel rods were mechanically shoved into a block of lead, or graphite or something?

No, this design is, what 40-50 years old? I believe the newer designs are like that, but with the WHARGARBL-NUKULAR-IS-DANJRUSS media/oil-coal money spouting off, we've never really updated all these plants that desperately need it.

ThisNameSux: thrgd456: has Obama made a statement yet? He needs to be on the dang news telling us all how safe OUR reactors are and how this couldn't happen here...or could it?

I'd hope we'd never be stupid enough to build nuclear reactors near major fault lines.

Well Japan is an major fault line... Not the best idea to have nuke plants there..

Hankie Fest: MORE GODZILLA PICS PLEASE
WE JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH
IT'S SO CLEVER AND ORIGINAL





YOU GOT IT

Ex-Texan: With all the crap going on here, you'd think the reactors were built by an American firm. A la "Lowest bid".

FWIW, Reactor #1 is was supplied by General Electric. #3, though, was Toshiba.

Ex-Texan: /Queue Steve Buscemi in "Armageddon".

What are we queuing him for?

/cue flaming

thrgd456: isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown,

A meltdown is a thermal event. Once you shutdown the actual nuclear reactions, that happened as soon as the quake happened, you still have a very hot collection of nuclear fuel to deal with. And that needs to be cooled to prevent a meltdown. However the more time that passes between a shutdown and the cooling failure, the better. After 48 hours the fuel won't be hot enough to meltdown, so if you get to 40 hours and your cooling craps out, you're not facing immediate problems. And indeed you wouldn't have enough heat left to meltdown everything. Also if you can keep any cooling flow going, after not that long the worry passes. The fuel will still be hot, but not so hot it can meltdown.

thrgd456: okay, hold on, isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown, that is, completely stopping the reaction in a power plant? I thought they just pushed a button and the fuel rods were mechanically shoved into a block of lead, or graphite or something?


That stops the reaction but doesn't cool the core in time to prevent a meltdown...it's the cooling pumps that are shutting down.

thrgd456: okay, hold on, isn't there some "hardware" solution to preventing a meltdown, that is, completely stopping the reaction in a power plant? I thought they just pushed a button and the fuel rods were mechanically shoved into a block of lead, or graphite or something?

Yeah, but that only stops the reaction. You've still got an obscene amount of heat in the reactor vessel that needs to be dissipated.

About an hour ago six randomly selected Japanese citizens from a affected nuclear reactor area were selected to be checked for radiation exposure-all were positive for being exposed to radiation-according to CNN.

And yet it's still five times safer per TWh than solar or wind power...

Can't they cool the reactor with something other than the dangerous dihydrogen monoxide?

At least they didn't make a nuclear-powered robot...



/slightly obscure
//hot, but not as hot as this shiat.

I can probably find room in my house for 2 or 3 japanese teenage girls. We all have to do our part.

Allen262: Well Japan is an major fault line... Not the best idea to have nuke plants there..

The vast majority of their plants near the quake did just fine. And these days they use different designs for the actual reactors and better construction for the buildings they're in, so seeing the same thing in one of their newer reactors is very remote.

badhatharry: People on the west coast should get to the store for iodine pills, plastic sheeting, and duct tape. Better safe than sorry.

Did Charlie Sheen kill a hooker?