ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area OT: The ring of fire is on fire

Let me allay some fears about any 'impending apocalypse' bandied about by some of the hysterical dolts in the media.

The absolute worst-case scenario is a full meltdown, where fuel rods fall into the base of the containment vessel at 2000 deg. F. There they will mix and react with the concrete. A small scale [steam] explosion, [not nuclear] is likely. Steam explosions have already occurred in 3 of the 4 reactors.... Given the ingrained Japanese culture of skirting round unpleasant facts given to superiors, I'd suspect they have already had meltdown[s] in the plant.

A plume of radioactive material may rise to low level [500 feet]. The vast majority of the fallout will be inside a 20 mile diameter zone, most of it inside the perimeter fence. At Chernobl, which had no containment vessel at all, [ and which had a graphite core which burned in air driving the plume up ], the plume rose to 30,000 feet and was not controlled for weeks. Even in that disaster, the main radioactive long-term health problems arose from folks continuing to consume radioactive water and vegetables, and was confined to a 20 mile radius from the reactor.

There will be no nuclear ['A' bomb] style blast.

The spent rods will only contaminate the area local to the plant.

The current [ March 17 2011 ] radio-activity levels inside the reactor buildings themselves are still no more than a full CT scan every hour, not a good thing but not a Nagasaki event either.

The Fukishima plant is a write off. It was built 40 years ago, yet it still managed to survive intact from a quake 8000 times stronger than the recent Christchurch event. The tsunami destroyed the cooling equipment.

IMHO, this is all small beer compared to the problems of power, fuel, shelter and food for the survivors right now.

As to the cooling and supply design arrangements - 'If' is a big word....

I don't lose any sleep over it, the media/ Ministry of Propaganda needs a crises to justify their existence & this is the one for now......

The people who lost loved ones, homes,& everything else that makes life comfortable are the ones who need to be the focus.

Last i heard something like 120 countries have signed onto helping Japan out

they're in fairly tough shape, the weather isn't helping, etc

even their reclusive emporer (A name?) made a rare public apperance

but i gotta take my hat off to those 50 workers who volunteered to stay behind , and deal with that overheating fukoshima reactor.

ther nuclear power employees, as well as the wider population, can only look on in admiration. "The people working at these plants are fighting without running away," Michiko Otsuki, an employee at the nearby Fukushima Daini plant, wrote on the Japanese social networking site Mixi. "Please don't forget that there are people who are working to protect everyone's lives in exchange for their own."
from>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/16/fukushima-heroes-nuclear-japan-watches

often unexpectedly , and often the sorts you'd never think turn out to be the strong hearts when distater strikes

~S~

The Emperor of Japan, Akihito, is the nation's head of state, the head of the Japanese Imperial Family and the Shinto religion. Japan's [US General McArthur's ?] 1947 constitution established the emperor as a ceremonial figurehead in a constitutional monarchy. In his dual role as head of a religion and head of state the Emperor resembles our [British] monarch, who is 'defender of the faith' in the protestant Church of England. His appearnce at this time reflects the seriousness of the situation Japan faces.

This monarchic system of a 'powerless' Head of State was established in 1688 in the British 'Glorious Revolution' after we rid ourselves of the hated regime of Oliver Cromwell. Kings and Queens in England rarely use the limited power they have and I can only recall two. Queen Victoria refused to sign a bill making lesbian acts illegal, and 'Mad' King George III who refused to fund the Army to kill any more American Colonists, on the premise that they were actually Englishmen!

Ducks and runs for cover!

Duck & Cover!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6eQkBCLkIA

gawd, i'd forgotten those days , and the quality time we spent under those old wooden school desks that were suppose to shield us from atomic blasts

man, they sure don't make those desks like they used to....

~S~

I lost all confidence in those exercises in school when I noticed how many desks actually fell over when we tried to get under them.

At least they got us in the habit of curling up in a ball in the case of a nuclear blast. Years later I heard that the correct procedure was to curl yourself as tight as you can and kiss your butt goodbye.

LOL

The Duck-and-Cover 1950s were pure psychological warfare -- by the US on its citizens.

Kept secret was the impossibility of Soviet atomics from reaching America at all. Their atomics were so heavy that only the largest planes could carry them at all. And these were originally copies of our own B-29! ( Tu-4 )

The 1960 Campaign's "Rocket Gap" was utter BS. Nixon could never get Ike to admit it on the record. At the time of the 1962 missile crisis the Soviets had only ONE missile complex able to fire upon America from the Soviet Union. It required 24-hours to fuel up on the pad -- rather like a moon launch. They had only three pads and about six missiles! It was located in Latvia, easily struck by NATO before it even launched.

By comparison the US could have launched over one hundred missiles within 30 minutes of the order able to land anywhere in the USSR.

------

It looks like the Japanese have finally got their reactor threat under control. All of the alarmist talk of recent days has proved off base.

In economic terms these 35 and 40 year old reactors have no future value and they will be disposed of. Reactor 1 was supposed to be shut down permanently next week, anyway!

Because radioactivity can be detected down to each event the public loses all scale. There are 6 x 10 ^ 23 carbon atoms in 12 grams. If one decays -- it can be detected.

Gamma radiation is terrible -- but almost entirely confined to the reactor complex.

Beta radiation is typical of atoms that have absorbed a neutron. It does not travel far.

Neutrons don't travel far at all. Water really stops them.

The only long distance worry is stuff like Cs 137. It has a half-life of 30 years and emits an electron. ( Beta decay ) It also mimics Na and K. So the body can easily ingest it. The body can also flush it right out, too.

Instead of over all radioactivity the public ought to be informed about just the hazardous isotopes. For example, Sr 90 has a half-life of 29 years and decays into Zr 90. But its oxide is inert -- rather like quartz. So unless you're in the industry your chances of encountering it is zero.

Many of the other isotopes have similar properties. Even if released in huge quantities they end up just falling into the ocean if the winds are right.

Anyhow, seawater is now cooling off the rods -- mostly -- and radiation levels are dropping. Whew.

It looks like the Japanese have finally got their reactor threat under control. All of the alarmist talk of recent days has proved off base

yet it has the expected effects Telsa>

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/4472115.bin

Potassium iodide pills are being flogged for as much as $15 a pill on eBay, with a couple of hopeful sellers posting several unsealed boxes of brands approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for $2,500.
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news...n+pills/4472141/story.html#ixzz1H8M8ZtvY

~S~

Please try not to post political views or comments

Thank You!

LK

I got an Email also about telsa's reply....