Surface temps of reactors continue to fall

[Hannah Bell]

The Defense Ministry says temperatures at 4 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant have fallen below 20 degrees Celsius.

The ministry has been using helicopters to take infrared surveys of the surface temperatures of facilities at the stricken plant since Saturday.

The 30-minute survey, which was done from around 7 AM on Thursday, also found that the storage pool for spent fuel at the No. 3 reactor has cooled to about 30 degrees.

The ministry says the surface temperature of the No. 1 reactor was 13 degrees Celsius, that of No. 2 stood at 13 degrees, No. 3 at 11 degrees, and No. 4 at 17 degrees.
All readings were down from a day earlier.

The ministry says the surface temperature of the storage pool at the No. 3 unit was 31 degrees Celsius, down 26 degrees from the day before. Self-Defense Force troops and firefighters have been spraying water onto the Number 3 reactor building.

Thursday, March 24, 2011 21:48 +0900 (JST)

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/24_53.html

[tavalon]

1. That's good, right?

We've been getting a slew of bad news today.

[Hannah Bell]

2. yes, it's good. i posted it because bad news is all that's ever found here.

[CreekDog]

3. yes, but the news overall is very *bad*

isn't it?

[Hannah Bell]

5. i am waiting to assess the degree of badness.

[drm604]

6. To my mind

if you can get radiation burns by getting your feet wet then yes it is very bad.

[tavalon]

14. Yep, that was my thought too.

[drm604]

4. It's all very confusing.

One day it's falling, the next day it's rising, the next day it's falling again. I can't figure out what source is credible or what I should believe.

This article mentions the reactors and the storage pool at reactor 3. What about the other storage pools?

[Hannah Bell]

7. it's because there is so much confusion that i will wait to assess the degree of badness.

[drm604]

8. It seems like most of it is bad.

The only good I've seen is occasional ambiguous reports of cooling which seem to be followed by reports of heating.

I haven't seen any retractions of the bad news, such as iodine in the drinking water and radiation burns from underground water. And now NHK has a single line report "Nuclear agency: No. 3 reactor may be leaking". What are we supposed to make of that?

Believe me, I want to hear good news, but it strikes me that even if the entire plant were suddenly beamed away by aliens they still have a godawful mess under and around it for possibly miles.

[Wilms]

9. The good news I've seen during this event includes efforts to bring electricity to the plant.

I read that and wondered what happens when they manage to plug it in. After all, would the pumps start once they were provided electricity? Not even the press, accused by some of running around screaming "Oh noes!", offered that question. Days later, we got the answer. The pumps wouldn't start.

The trajectory of events is pretty clear.

[drm604]

13. When someone started a thread about them bringing electricity to the plant

I posted that I was skeptical that the pumps would still be in working condition. I was jumped on and told that I must think that the Japanese were stupid.

I was right. (I didn't and I don't think the Japanese are stupid, that was an accusation made against me. I was right about the pumps likely being broken.)

[Wilms]

15. More than a few headlines were predicted days in advance here on DU.

We're NOT a bunch pessimists. You'd be hard pressed to find another general forum with such brilliant, thoughtful, posters anywhere on the internet, snarky as we can be at times.

And I'll bet the dedicated, selfless workers at Fukishima would agree. I have ZERO doubt they would have considered your comment anything other than it was--a reasonable, if sobering, assessment of the challenge.

:toast:

[jtuck004]

17. But don't you feel a personal attack is the first thing we should draw

from our scabbard? It enhances discussion. Much different from, but similar in effect to browbeating from, well, we won't go into that - it's a tremendous motivator. But because you drew different conclusions you must be working with some type of brain injury.

I didn't read whatever post you felt attacked in, but I feel your pain.

Happy talk, happy talk, happy talk...the sooner you accept it, the less we have to hear of it, eh? :)

Now we get news that the surface temps are in the teens - celcius. Steam is rising from one reactor, which means that water temp is at least 100c. Warm little spot in the snow.

The BEST news is that they are pumping in fresh water. It insulates better and doesn't weaken structures. Now if one of the reactors doesn't self-destruct while they are getting "the emergency" under control by mid-May (ok, I'm an optimist), we should be ok. Somewhere along then the radioactive water that is glowing flowing out the base should be stopped.

The worst news is that 40% of the survivors said they cannot return home, 17% say they do not want to. From an NHK survey of survivors who said they didn't know where to go. There are 200,000 people in shelters, some of whom are being moved from near Fukushima not, according to the government, because of radiation but because of the difficulty of delivering supplies, and that is probably true. That report also said the death toll doesn't include the area around the exclusions zone, because the radiation is keeping them from doing a search.

[Aerows]

21. I said the same thing

Look at condition of them. You don't have to be an expert to realize that the pumps probably wouldn't work.

[Raschel]

19. You're right, they don't retract the bad news, because it's still there. And when they say "may", or

"possibly", it will be followed in a few days with the announcement that it "is".

It's a bunch of b.s.

[RegieRocker]

10. What about the possible reactor core breach?

[Junkdrawer]

12. Shhh....

Years from now will be the time for truth. While the cameras are rolling, the official line is "Things are worrisome, but under control and improving".

[robcon]

11. Cool!

I hope it's cool.

[Myrina]

16. ... so we have uranium popsicles now, or what?

Glow in the dark slushies?

:shrug:

[intaglio]

18. Shiny happy reporting - explain why

The 20-30 km "closed window" zone has been turned into a "voluntary evacuation" zone Japan Times

The INES rating has been raised to a 6 Asahi.com

Radioactive zirconium has been found contaminating water flowing from Fukushima Voice of America News 4th paragraph from bottom

Radioactive Zirconium has been found in water in the basement of reactor 3 indicating exposed fuel rodsJapan Times again

[IScreamSundays]

20. Hannah Bell: Let's put a smiley face on the progress at Fukushima

BTW, please don't forget to check my latest response to your posts in my OP at http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x735316

[Modern_Matthew]

22. Today... "Japan PM: Nuclear situation 'grave and serious'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12864405

[Shagbark Hickory]

23. Well sure the temps are falling. The radiation flew over to california.

Via breastmilk.