Thursday, March 17, 2011
Ommegang Adoration
Ommegang Adoration Special Winter Ale. Poured a reddish brown color with a monster head......maybe too much carbonation. Smells of carmel, malt, citrus, and spice. First taste was pretty good just what I would expect from Ommegang. Tastes of malt and spice with a little bitterness at the beginning and definitely some alcohol (coming in at 10% abv). I like it a lot. One of the best I've had. Samuel Smith Winter Welcome is still my favorite in this style but the Ommegang is a close second. I picked it up at Vintage Estates in Youngstown, OH for $14.99 for a 750ml bottle. Definitely worth the price and then some.
Link to NEI site on Japan nuke plant
Rather than continuing to cut and paste I am just inserting the link.
I am then going to resume posting about beer.............
http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/
By the way tonight I am going to be having an Ommegang Three Philosophers. Belgian Quadruple. Can't wait. Tell you about it later
I am then going to resume posting about beer.............
http://www.nei.org/newsandevents/information-on-the-japanese-earthquake-and-reactors-in-that-region/
By the way tonight I am going to be having an Ommegang Three Philosophers. Belgian Quadruple. Can't wait. Tell you about it later
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Latest update from NEI on Japan's nuclear plants
UPDATE AS OF 10:00 A.M. EDT, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16:
News reports that high radiation levels led to the evacuation of all workers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station are not accurate. Workers were evacuated for about an hour but returned to the site to continue efforts to restore safe conditions at the plant.
Restoration of electrical power to the site was under way at the Daiichi plant as of 6:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday. A temporary cable was being connected between an off-site power line and Daiichi reactor 3. Off-site power has not been available at the site since the earthquake on March 11.
Reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the plant are being cooled with seawater. There is some level of uranium fuel damage at all three units, and containment structure damage is suspected at reactor 2.
Before the earthquake, reactor 4 had been in refueling and was completely defueled. Attempts to provide cooling water to the used fuel pool at reactor 4 by helicopter were not successful. Preparations are being made to inject water into the fuel storage pool using a high-capacity spray pump. There have been two fires inside the reactor containment building at reactor 4, but they have been extinguished. Although the reactor containment building at Unit 4 was damaged, the primary containment vessel remains intact.
At the Fukushima Daini site, all four reactors are safely shut down and cooling functions are being maintained.
News reports that high radiation levels led to the evacuation of all workers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station are not accurate. Workers were evacuated for about an hour but returned to the site to continue efforts to restore safe conditions at the plant.
Restoration of electrical power to the site was under way at the Daiichi plant as of 6:00 a.m. EDT Wednesday. A temporary cable was being connected between an off-site power line and Daiichi reactor 3. Off-site power has not been available at the site since the earthquake on March 11.
Reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the plant are being cooled with seawater. There is some level of uranium fuel damage at all three units, and containment structure damage is suspected at reactor 2.
Before the earthquake, reactor 4 had been in refueling and was completely defueled. Attempts to provide cooling water to the used fuel pool at reactor 4 by helicopter were not successful. Preparations are being made to inject water into the fuel storage pool using a high-capacity spray pump. There have been two fires inside the reactor containment building at reactor 4, but they have been extinguished. Although the reactor containment building at Unit 4 was damaged, the primary containment vessel remains intact.
At the Fukushima Daini site, all four reactors are safely shut down and cooling functions are being maintained.
Update on Japanese reactors from NEI
UPDATE AS OF 5:00 P.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:NEI has posted a new fact sheet "Used Nuclear Fuel Storage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant."
UPDATE AS OF 2:15 P.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:An explosion at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant earlier today has damaged the suppression chamber, which holds water and steam released from the reactor core. Personnel not directly supporting recovery efforts have been evacuated from the plant, with about 50 employees remaining, principally to restore cooling water in the reactors.
Later in the day, water level inside the Unit 2 reactor was measured at 1.7 meters below the top of the fuel rods, but it was rising as workers pumped sea water into the reactor, reports said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that an oil leak in a cooling water pump at Unit 4 was the cause of a fire that burned for approximately 140 minutes. The fire was not in the spent fuel pool, as reported by several media outlets. Unit 4 was in a 105-day-long maintenance outage at the time of the earthquake and there is no fuel in the reactor.
All four reactors at the Fukushima Daini power plant are shutdown and reactor coolant systems are keeping the reactors safe.
Residents have been evacuated from the area surrounding the facility and they have been given potassium iodide tablets as a preventive measure. The ingestion of the tablets can help prevent the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent 11 experts to Tokyo to provide assistance requested by the Japanese government. Two reactor experts were dispatched Saturday; others began departing Monday.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said today that nuclear energy is safe and important to the country’s energy portfolio. Americans “should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly.”
In testimony before the House of Representatives, Chu said: “Safety remains at the forefront of our effort to responsibly develop America’s energy resources, and we will continue to incorporate best practices and lessons learned into that process.” He said the country must rely on several energy sources, including nuclear.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement, “I think undoubtedly they’ll (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) be taking a fresh look at the safety precautions and provisions that are in place, in light of whatever is learned from the Japanese. I hope that the Commission will quickly reach some conclusions about whether the safety precautions and provisions that it has insisted on are adequate for the future.”
UPDATE AS OF 2:15 P.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:An explosion at Unit 2 of the Fukushima Daiichi plant earlier today has damaged the suppression chamber, which holds water and steam released from the reactor core. Personnel not directly supporting recovery efforts have been evacuated from the plant, with about 50 employees remaining, principally to restore cooling water in the reactors.
Later in the day, water level inside the Unit 2 reactor was measured at 1.7 meters below the top of the fuel rods, but it was rising as workers pumped sea water into the reactor, reports said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that an oil leak in a cooling water pump at Unit 4 was the cause of a fire that burned for approximately 140 minutes. The fire was not in the spent fuel pool, as reported by several media outlets. Unit 4 was in a 105-day-long maintenance outage at the time of the earthquake and there is no fuel in the reactor.
All four reactors at the Fukushima Daini power plant are shutdown and reactor coolant systems are keeping the reactors safe.
Residents have been evacuated from the area surrounding the facility and they have been given potassium iodide tablets as a preventive measure. The ingestion of the tablets can help prevent the accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent 11 experts to Tokyo to provide assistance requested by the Japanese government. Two reactor experts were dispatched Saturday; others began departing Monday.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu said today that nuclear energy is safe and important to the country’s energy portfolio. Americans “should have full confidence that the United States has rigorous safety regulations in place to ensure that our nuclear power is generated safely and responsibly.”
In testimony before the House of Representatives, Chu said: “Safety remains at the forefront of our effort to responsibly develop America’s energy resources, and we will continue to incorporate best practices and lessons learned into that process.” He said the country must rely on several energy sources, including nuclear.
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement, “I think undoubtedly they’ll (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) be taking a fresh look at the safety precautions and provisions that are in place, in light of whatever is learned from the Japanese. I hope that the Commission will quickly reach some conclusions about whether the safety precautions and provisions that it has insisted on are adequate for the future.”
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Here is the latest info on Japan taken from the NEI website (not media)
UPDATE AS OF 10:20 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:The level of radioactivity at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has been decreasing, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
At 8 p.m. EDT March 15, a dose rate of 1,190 millirem per hour was observed. Six hours later, the dose rate was 60 millirem per hour, IAEA said.
About 150 residents near the Fukushima Daiichi site have been checked for radiation and 23 have been decontaminated.
Japanese authorities have distributed potassium iodide tablets to evacuation center (see this page for more information on potassium iodide). If taken within several hours of ingesting radioactive iodine, potassium iodide can protect the thyroid gland.
UPDATE AS OF 9:15 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:
Fukushima DaiichiUnits 1 and 3 at Fukushima Daiichi are stable and cooling is being maintained through seawater injection. Primary containment integrity has been maintained on both reactors.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) reported an explosion in the suppression pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2, at 7:14 p.m. EDT on March 14. Reactor water level was reported to be at 2.7 meters below the top of the fuel. The pressure in the suppression pool decreased from 3 atmospheres to 1 atmosphere. Radiation readings at the site increased to 96 millirem per hour.
Dose rates at Fukushima Daiichi as reported at 10:22 p.m. EDT on March 14 were:
We are working on getting updated information on radiation and dose rates at and near the plant.
Station personnel not directly supporting reactor recovery efforts have been evacuated, leaving approximately 50 staff members at the site. Operators are no longer in the main control room due to high radiation levels.
Safety relief valves were able to be re-opened and seawater injection into the reactor core was restarted around 1 a.m. EDT on March 15 and is continuing.
At Unit 4 on March 14 at approximately 8:38 p.m. EDT, a fire was reported in the reactor building. It is believed to have been from a lube oil leak in a system that drives recirculation water pumps. Fire fighting efforts extinguished the fire. The roof of the reactor building was damaged.
Fukushima DainiAll four reactors at Fukushima Daini are being maintained with normal cooling using residual heat removal systems.
UPDATE AS OF 10:25 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:Yukio Edano, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, during a live press conference at 10 p.m. EDT, said there is a fire at Fukushima Daiichi 4 that is accompanied by high levels of radiation between Units 3 and 4 at the site. The fire began burning at Unit 4 at around 6 a.m. Japan time on March 14 and is still burning. Fire fighters are responding to the fire. The reactor does not have fuel in the reactor, but there is spent fuel in the reactor (pool) and Edano said that he assumes radioactive substances are being released. “The substances are coming out from the No. 4 reactor and we are making the utmost effort to put out the first and also cool down the No. 4 reactor (pool).”
Edano said that a blast was heard this morning at Unit 2 at about 6:30 a.m. A hole was observed in the number 2 reactor and he said there is very little possibility that an explosion will occur at Unit 2.
“The part of the suppression chamber seems to have caused the blast,” Edano said. A small amount of radioactive substance seems to have been released to the outside.
TEPCO workers continue to pump sea water at 1, 2 and 3 reactors. “The biggest problem is how to maintain the cooling and how to contain the fire at No. 4.” At 10:22 a.m. Japan time, the radiation level between units 2 and 3 were as high as 40 rem per hour. “We are talking about levels that can impact human health.” Edano said.
Of the 800 staff that remained at the power plant, all but 50 who are directly involved in pumping water into the reactor have been evacuated.
UPDATE AS OF 9:40 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14: An explosion in the vicinity of the suppression pool at Fukushima Daiichi 2 just after 6:20 a.m. Japan Standard Time (5:20 p.m. EDT) may have damaged a portion of the reactor’s primary containment structure.
Pressure in the suppression pool has been reported to have decreased to ambient atmospheric pressure shortly after the blast. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has reported possible damage to the reactor’s pressure-suppression system. Radiation levels at local monitoring stations have risen but are still in flux. TEPCO has evacuated some workers from all three Fukushima reactors with the exception of approximately 50 workers involved in sea water pumping activities into the reactors as part of emergency cooling efforts.
Residents within a 20-kilometer (12.5 mile) zone around the plant were ordered to evacuate on Saturday following a hydrogen explosion at Unit 1. Another hydrogen explosion occurred this morning (U.S. time) at Unit 3.
Efforts to inject sea water into Unit 2 have been complicated by a faulty pressure relief valve. The fuel at Unit 2 has been exposed at least twice, before being re-covered with sea water.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, has said a partial defect has been found inside the containment vessel of reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
UPDATE AS OF 5:30 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported at 3:00 p.m. EDT that work had resumed to pump seawater into Fukushima Daiichi 2 to maintain safe cooling water levels after the utility was able to vent steam from the pressure vessel. The fuel had been exposed for 140 minutes Monday night due to a malfunctioning pressure relief valve. Water levels later went up to cover more than half of the rods.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that the Japanese government has formally asked for assistance from the United States on nuclear power plant cooling issues triggered by the March 11 tsunami.
The agency has already sent two experts on boiling water reactor issues to Japan as part of a U.S. Agency for International Development disaster relief team. The experts now are in Tokyo providing technical assistance. The U.S. NRC is also monitoring the Japanese reactor events around the clock from its headquarters operations center in Rockville, Md.
Prior to the second exposure of the rods around 11 p.m., March 14 local time in Japan, radiation at the plant site was detected at a level twice the maximum seen so far – 313 millirem per hour, according to TEPCO.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said he believes the problem at the plant ''will not develop into a situation similar to Chernobyl,” even in the worst case.
The utility said a hydrogen explosion at the nearby No. 3 reactor that occurred Monday morning may have caused a glitch in the cooling system of the No. 2 reactor.
The hydrogen explosion at reactor 3 on March 14 injured 11 people: seven TEPCO workers at the site and four members of the country’s Self-Defense Forces. The reactor's containment vessel was not damaged and the reactor remains safely contained in its primary containment.
Administration, NRC Response to the Accident
At a White House briefing, press secretary Jay Carney said that information is still coming in on the status of nuclear plants in Japan, but that the Obama administration is committed to keeping nuclear energy as part of the U.S. energy portfolio.
Energy Department Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman said nuclear energy “continues to play an important role in providing a low-carbon future.”
Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said at the briefing that analysis of the damage, the type of reactor and the distances involved indicate a “very low likelihood” that any potential fallout from Japan might reach Hawaii or Western states.
U.S. nuclear power plants are built to endure the strain of natural phenomena like hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, Jaczko said. “Right now, we continue to believe that nuclear power plants in this country operate safely and securely,” he said.
UPDATE AS OF 4:20 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:
NEI has posted a new document, "Radiation in Perspective," which describes where radiation comes from and how it is measured.
My comments:
As for the dose rates listed in the above article. 40 rem/hr is a lot and any unshielded extended exposure could cause severe sickness and or death
As for the 821mrem/hour...........at 1000ft from there the dose rate would be less than 1 mrem/hr which is insignificant and poses no threat to the public. Granted number one priority at any nuclear site is to prevent the public from any exposure no matter how small.
Now these numbers are radiation exposure dose rates..........the real concern would be contamination which is different. Contamination is little particals that are radioactive that could be ingested or inhaled and therefore give you exposure internally until they are removed via the normal methods you get anything out of your body......sweat or other biological functions in the bathroom...
The fuel that has been and may still be uncovered was spent fuel in a spent fuel pool. This fuel is still generating heat but at a significantly slower rate than fuel that has recently been irradiated. If you will note they said the dose rates near the uncovered fuel were less than 100 mrem/hr.....If they continue to put water in the reactors eventually the dose rates will drop. Hopefully before fuel begins to leave the containment.
This event is definitely bad but it could have been so much worse.....One thing to remember is that this was not a failure of the personnel at the plant but a natural disaster.
At 8 p.m. EDT March 15, a dose rate of 1,190 millirem per hour was observed. Six hours later, the dose rate was 60 millirem per hour, IAEA said.
About 150 residents near the Fukushima Daiichi site have been checked for radiation and 23 have been decontaminated.
Japanese authorities have distributed potassium iodide tablets to evacuation center (see this page for more information on potassium iodide). If taken within several hours of ingesting radioactive iodine, potassium iodide can protect the thyroid gland.
UPDATE AS OF 9:15 A.M. EDT, TUESDAY, MARCH 15:
Fukushima DaiichiUnits 1 and 3 at Fukushima Daiichi are stable and cooling is being maintained through seawater injection. Primary containment integrity has been maintained on both reactors.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) reported an explosion in the suppression pool at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2, at 7:14 p.m. EDT on March 14. Reactor water level was reported to be at 2.7 meters below the top of the fuel. The pressure in the suppression pool decreased from 3 atmospheres to 1 atmosphere. Radiation readings at the site increased to 96 millirem per hour.
Dose rates at Fukushima Daiichi as reported at 10:22 p.m. EDT on March 14 were:
- Near Unit 3 reactor building 40 rem/hr
- Near Unit 4 reactor building 10 rem/hr
- At site boundary 821 millirem/hr.
- Kitaibaraki (200 km south of site) 0.4 millirem/hr.
We are working on getting updated information on radiation and dose rates at and near the plant.
Station personnel not directly supporting reactor recovery efforts have been evacuated, leaving approximately 50 staff members at the site. Operators are no longer in the main control room due to high radiation levels.
Safety relief valves were able to be re-opened and seawater injection into the reactor core was restarted around 1 a.m. EDT on March 15 and is continuing.
At Unit 4 on March 14 at approximately 8:38 p.m. EDT, a fire was reported in the reactor building. It is believed to have been from a lube oil leak in a system that drives recirculation water pumps. Fire fighting efforts extinguished the fire. The roof of the reactor building was damaged.
Fukushima DainiAll four reactors at Fukushima Daini are being maintained with normal cooling using residual heat removal systems.
UPDATE AS OF 10:25 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:Yukio Edano, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, during a live press conference at 10 p.m. EDT, said there is a fire at Fukushima Daiichi 4 that is accompanied by high levels of radiation between Units 3 and 4 at the site. The fire began burning at Unit 4 at around 6 a.m. Japan time on March 14 and is still burning. Fire fighters are responding to the fire. The reactor does not have fuel in the reactor, but there is spent fuel in the reactor (pool) and Edano said that he assumes radioactive substances are being released. “The substances are coming out from the No. 4 reactor and we are making the utmost effort to put out the first and also cool down the No. 4 reactor (pool).”
Edano said that a blast was heard this morning at Unit 2 at about 6:30 a.m. A hole was observed in the number 2 reactor and he said there is very little possibility that an explosion will occur at Unit 2.
“The part of the suppression chamber seems to have caused the blast,” Edano said. A small amount of radioactive substance seems to have been released to the outside.
TEPCO workers continue to pump sea water at 1, 2 and 3 reactors. “The biggest problem is how to maintain the cooling and how to contain the fire at No. 4.” At 10:22 a.m. Japan time, the radiation level between units 2 and 3 were as high as 40 rem per hour. “We are talking about levels that can impact human health.” Edano said.
Of the 800 staff that remained at the power plant, all but 50 who are directly involved in pumping water into the reactor have been evacuated.
UPDATE AS OF 9:40 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14: An explosion in the vicinity of the suppression pool at Fukushima Daiichi 2 just after 6:20 a.m. Japan Standard Time (5:20 p.m. EDT) may have damaged a portion of the reactor’s primary containment structure.
Pressure in the suppression pool has been reported to have decreased to ambient atmospheric pressure shortly after the blast. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has reported possible damage to the reactor’s pressure-suppression system. Radiation levels at local monitoring stations have risen but are still in flux. TEPCO has evacuated some workers from all three Fukushima reactors with the exception of approximately 50 workers involved in sea water pumping activities into the reactors as part of emergency cooling efforts.
Residents within a 20-kilometer (12.5 mile) zone around the plant were ordered to evacuate on Saturday following a hydrogen explosion at Unit 1. Another hydrogen explosion occurred this morning (U.S. time) at Unit 3.
Efforts to inject sea water into Unit 2 have been complicated by a faulty pressure relief valve. The fuel at Unit 2 has been exposed at least twice, before being re-covered with sea water.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yukio Edano, has said a partial defect has been found inside the containment vessel of reactor 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
UPDATE AS OF 5:30 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:Tokyo Electric Power Co. reported at 3:00 p.m. EDT that work had resumed to pump seawater into Fukushima Daiichi 2 to maintain safe cooling water levels after the utility was able to vent steam from the pressure vessel. The fuel had been exposed for 140 minutes Monday night due to a malfunctioning pressure relief valve. Water levels later went up to cover more than half of the rods.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that the Japanese government has formally asked for assistance from the United States on nuclear power plant cooling issues triggered by the March 11 tsunami.
The agency has already sent two experts on boiling water reactor issues to Japan as part of a U.S. Agency for International Development disaster relief team. The experts now are in Tokyo providing technical assistance. The U.S. NRC is also monitoring the Japanese reactor events around the clock from its headquarters operations center in Rockville, Md.
Prior to the second exposure of the rods around 11 p.m., March 14 local time in Japan, radiation at the plant site was detected at a level twice the maximum seen so far – 313 millirem per hour, according to TEPCO.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said he believes the problem at the plant ''will not develop into a situation similar to Chernobyl,” even in the worst case.
The utility said a hydrogen explosion at the nearby No. 3 reactor that occurred Monday morning may have caused a glitch in the cooling system of the No. 2 reactor.
The hydrogen explosion at reactor 3 on March 14 injured 11 people: seven TEPCO workers at the site and four members of the country’s Self-Defense Forces. The reactor's containment vessel was not damaged and the reactor remains safely contained in its primary containment.
Administration, NRC Response to the Accident
At a White House briefing, press secretary Jay Carney said that information is still coming in on the status of nuclear plants in Japan, but that the Obama administration is committed to keeping nuclear energy as part of the U.S. energy portfolio.
Energy Department Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman said nuclear energy “continues to play an important role in providing a low-carbon future.”
Gregory Jaczko, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said at the briefing that analysis of the damage, the type of reactor and the distances involved indicate a “very low likelihood” that any potential fallout from Japan might reach Hawaii or Western states.
U.S. nuclear power plants are built to endure the strain of natural phenomena like hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes, Jaczko said. “Right now, we continue to believe that nuclear power plants in this country operate safely and securely,” he said.
UPDATE AS OF 4:20 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MARCH 14:
NEI has posted a new document, "Radiation in Perspective," which describes where radiation comes from and how it is measured.
My comments:
As for the dose rates listed in the above article. 40 rem/hr is a lot and any unshielded extended exposure could cause severe sickness and or death
As for the 821mrem/hour...........at 1000ft from there the dose rate would be less than 1 mrem/hr which is insignificant and poses no threat to the public. Granted number one priority at any nuclear site is to prevent the public from any exposure no matter how small.
Now these numbers are radiation exposure dose rates..........the real concern would be contamination which is different. Contamination is little particals that are radioactive that could be ingested or inhaled and therefore give you exposure internally until they are removed via the normal methods you get anything out of your body......sweat or other biological functions in the bathroom...
The fuel that has been and may still be uncovered was spent fuel in a spent fuel pool. This fuel is still generating heat but at a significantly slower rate than fuel that has recently been irradiated. If you will note they said the dose rates near the uncovered fuel were less than 100 mrem/hr.....If they continue to put water in the reactors eventually the dose rates will drop. Hopefully before fuel begins to leave the containment.
This event is definitely bad but it could have been so much worse.....One thing to remember is that this was not a failure of the personnel at the plant but a natural disaster.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Stop the panic. (Japan nuclear plant problems)
The following is a short description/ explanation as to why the media should keep their mouth shut about things they don't understand.
First. The reactors reported on the media have been shut down. Meaning the nuclear chain reaction that is used to generate electricity has been stopped. This happened automatically when the earthquake happened.
Second. The nuclear fuel continues to generate heat after the reactor is shut down due to the decay of fission products that are produced while the reactors were operating. This is the issue faced by the Japanese plants. They need cooling water to remove this decay heat. They lost power to their cooling water pumps so they were unable to provide the cooling that was needed which is why some of the fuel melted.
These plants are built with 3 layers of containment. The fuel pellets made of Uranium Oxide which are like little cylanders about the size of a cap from a magic marker are put into a round tube made of Zircaloy. This Zircaloy "cladding" is the first barrier or containment. The fuel melts at about 3000F and the Zirc at temps greater than 2000F. These fuel rods are put into assemblies and then into the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel is like a large pot. This pot is designed to withstand temperatures and pressures in excess of the normal operating temps and pressures. This is one heavy duty pot. This pot is sealed and is the second barrier or containment. The reactor vessel and associated piping and systems are inside a steel and concrete building designed to hold the pressure from an accident inside and not leak. This is called the containment building and is the third barrier. These plants in Japan have and additional structure built around the containment that is not built to be pressure tight. This is the structure that exploded. While not a good thing it would be like your shed in the back yard blowing up. Not required to keep the radioactive stuff inside.
As to the United States flying "special, important, coolant" over to Japan. You've got to be kidding me. Water is the coolant and last time I checked Japan was an island. They already put saltwater in the reactors which will prevent them from ever being operated again. The media is just making stuff up. As far as radiation released. The stuff if any that has actually been release is most likely Nitrogen 16 which has decayed to non radioactive isotopes in less than 30 seconds or noble gasses like Xenon which decays in a couple hours and once again poses little to no threat to the public. If you have every been to the beach, flown in an air plane, gotten an Xray, or God forbid gone to a tanning bed you could probably camp for a week or two right outside these plants in Japan and still not get the exposure you recieved from any of the fore mentioned activities.
If you have any questions, ask. or check out this site http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/ and please just turn off the news. Bunch of booger pickin morons trying to scare the public.
First. The reactors reported on the media have been shut down. Meaning the nuclear chain reaction that is used to generate electricity has been stopped. This happened automatically when the earthquake happened.
Second. The nuclear fuel continues to generate heat after the reactor is shut down due to the decay of fission products that are produced while the reactors were operating. This is the issue faced by the Japanese plants. They need cooling water to remove this decay heat. They lost power to their cooling water pumps so they were unable to provide the cooling that was needed which is why some of the fuel melted.
These plants are built with 3 layers of containment. The fuel pellets made of Uranium Oxide which are like little cylanders about the size of a cap from a magic marker are put into a round tube made of Zircaloy. This Zircaloy "cladding" is the first barrier or containment. The fuel melts at about 3000F and the Zirc at temps greater than 2000F. These fuel rods are put into assemblies and then into the reactor vessel. The reactor vessel is like a large pot. This pot is designed to withstand temperatures and pressures in excess of the normal operating temps and pressures. This is one heavy duty pot. This pot is sealed and is the second barrier or containment. The reactor vessel and associated piping and systems are inside a steel and concrete building designed to hold the pressure from an accident inside and not leak. This is called the containment building and is the third barrier. These plants in Japan have and additional structure built around the containment that is not built to be pressure tight. This is the structure that exploded. While not a good thing it would be like your shed in the back yard blowing up. Not required to keep the radioactive stuff inside.
As to the United States flying "special, important, coolant" over to Japan. You've got to be kidding me. Water is the coolant and last time I checked Japan was an island. They already put saltwater in the reactors which will prevent them from ever being operated again. The media is just making stuff up. As far as radiation released. The stuff if any that has actually been release is most likely Nitrogen 16 which has decayed to non radioactive isotopes in less than 30 seconds or noble gasses like Xenon which decays in a couple hours and once again poses little to no threat to the public. If you have every been to the beach, flown in an air plane, gotten an Xray, or God forbid gone to a tanning bed you could probably camp for a week or two right outside these plants in Japan and still not get the exposure you recieved from any of the fore mentioned activities.
If you have any questions, ask. or check out this site http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/ and please just turn off the news. Bunch of booger pickin morons trying to scare the public.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Its official
Well the key for the NRC GFES exam was released (preliminary version) and I did in fact ace the thing. All that worrying for nothing. To celebrate I would like to go to the Vintage Estates and grab a few bottles of beer. Don't think its in the cards for me tonight though. Paige has all kinds of stuff for me to do I'm sure. And I have to go pay for a stupid parking ticket. I got ticketed last night for parking in the cul-de-sac in front of my house. Said "snow emergency greater than 3 inches" so I had to park off the street. I have yet after three years seen the snow plow jerk clean the cul-de-sac except for the last time I got ticketed and then called and told him to get his @#$@$%@$ back out to clean it. Gotta love PA. any way to get money from my pocket to theirs. Can't wait for the fast food, soda, and donuts tax that the silly liberals want to impose. Thats the answer if you find a problem tax it, that will fix it. Pretty soon they will find a way to tax my homebrew. probably something like 10 bucks per pound for barley. 50 cents an ounce for hops.
Uncle Sam needs you. Do something for your country today...........Slap a liberal.
Uncle Sam needs you. Do something for your country today...........Slap a liberal.
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