temperature in reactor unit 3 is increasing along with the temperature in the unit 4 spent fuel pool

[meow mix]

A look @ the reactor info from TEPCO is sobering. The temperature in reactor unit 3 is increasing along with the temperature in the unit 4 spent fuel pool. High humidity within the reactor buildings is making work increasingly difficult for the crews tasked with bringing the cores under some kind of control.

‘Corium’ debris likely includes molten stainless- steel that made up much of the core support structures inside the pressure vessels as well as parts of the vessels themselves. Each core mass is approximately 200 tons or more. The material is probably in the spaces under the dry wells in the form of ‘blobs’ having lava- like liquid centers. Cores have become uber- toxic ‘science experiments which contain isotopes, compounds and solutions of concrete, seawater salts, leftover corrosion products from ordinary reactor operation (Cobalt 60) and debris from the control rods and drive mechanisms. All of this material lurks at the bottoms of dry wells or in the cellars beneath the dry wells. It is unknown whether the cores are melting through the concrete reactor foundations.

TEPCO has so far been unable or unwilling to probe the reactors to find out where the cores are and what they might be made of. Figuring out what is taking place within the buildings is a guessing game based on imperfect (useless) information (click on image to enlarge):

http://www.economic-undertow.com/2011/06/09/fukushima-update/

[leveymg]

1. 200 tonnes of hot, highly radioactive material burning down, down until it reaches the water table

[Old and In the Way]

2. Pretty scary shit.

Is there any chance that these nuclear blast furnaces can reach a critical chain reactive condition and explode?

[DLnyc]

5. I would say no chance

I'm far from an expert on the subject, but I think I understand the basic physics. To get a nuclear explosion requires that separate 'sub-critical' amounts of nuclear material be assembled into a 'critical' amount VERY QUICKLY AND PRECISELY. If the material does not come together in sufficient amounts fast enough, its rapidly increasing heat makes it fly apart before enough is assembled to make a nuclear explosion. You might get a dirty mess of very hot radioactive material (as there apparently is in these reactors) but not a nuclear explosion. Sort of a 'sub-explosion' where a chain reaction has occurred, but not a nuclear explosion.

[Old and In the Way]

6. Thanks...I sorta of figured that was the case.

I know the A bombs required controlled implosions to force the atomic elements to start they ping pong ball type collisions to knock sub-atomic particles out of the nucleus and release their energy. What I didn't know is if this mix could start a reaction based on random chemical/elemental interactions. Guess not. The difference here is that a bomb releases the energy and the radiation eventually dissipates while this nuclear event is going to keep generating uncontrolled radiation for a loooooong time.

[Richard D]

3. I don't quite understand . . .

. . . why Tepco, with all their obvious incompetence, hasn't been relieved of duty here. This is a world issue, and the best nuclear physicists and engineers from the world should be there trying to solve what seems to be rapidly becoming unsolvable.

[Newest Reality]

4. Very good point!

As the details are revealed and become clear, this sounds more like a Global emergency of a very high priority.

Yet, we have one company, trying to cover its ass, in still in charge of what is a slow-boiling crises that can have an unprecedented impact for millions of years locally and far beyond.

It is rather appalling that this powder-keg is being allowed to sit under cover until the next major and critical aspect of it forces a revelation to the public.

[saras]

7. That would admit that corporations don't rule the world...

and that there are superior authorities and powers to look to when corporations fail. Why would they want to send that message?

And who would relieve them of duty? Where is there any organized system of experts making decisions based on competence and not profit? You'd have to build such a thing, kind of like the scientific institutions the US had when we used to fund basic research, from scratch.

If you could figure out how to redefine the whole situation as a money-making scenario then you could use corporations as your structure. But we can't - that's the problem in the first place.

[Duer 157099]

8. Not unlike BP in the GOM

Seems to be SOP these days.

[kristopher]

9. The people working on this in Japan are as competent as any you'll find anywhere in the world.

And if that doesn't give you reason to pause, nothing will.

Seriously, the Japanese have some of the best talent in the world. The problem isn't the people, it is a technology that can get out of control no matter who is designing, building or operating it.

The global nuclear industry, however, would be very grateful if we'd all blame "Japanese incompetence" for the situation. The last thing they want is for people to question the viability of the technology itself.

[Safetykitten]

10. "best talent in the world", that's the problem.

[meow mix]

11. could use Captain Planet about now..

yeah we'd have to go into the realm of fiction to find anyone able to handle this mess