02SilverStroke
Full Access Member
I saw that some boats were destroyed at a marina in CA. I also heard that the tsunami was traveling across the Pacific at 500 MPH.
I learned a little more about the Japanese reactor explosion this morning from my brother who used to run one of the N-plants here in Texas.
The Japanese boiling water reactors are not like our reactors. They do not have electromagnet suspended control rods.......they are hydraulically elevated control rods.
Unlike our reactors when they loose power the electromagnet shuts off dropping the suspended rods into the core thus shutting down the reactor.....the Japanese plants must have power to raise the rods into the core to shut down the reactor. No power.....no control. Control power for the plant is received from off-site.......when that is lost the diesel generators kick in but apparently those were destroyed in the tsunami flood waters.
My brother suggests that the explosion was likely caused by a hydrogen build up in the outer containment building. When they lost the coolant pumps the zirconium alloy that contains the fuel pellets got hot enough to react with the water and started burning. This stripped the oxygen molecules out of the water leaving hydrogen that built up and exploded in the outer containment building.
With the fuel pellets no longer contained in the zirconium alloy tubes they fall to the bottom of the reactor and puddle at the bottom in a mass that can no longer be cooled or controlled. If this has happened then they have the components necessary for a China Syndrome.
Tbar
i really like the part about the plant receives its electricity from AN OFFSITE location??
if your making the juice ON SITE with the steam turbines....why wouldn't you be siphoning off power for your facility
might be to easy of a question though. high voltage would have to be stepped down , etc etc
makes me feel better now about my visit to commance peak power plant
During scheduled refueling or in the event of a disaster in the plant you still want to have operating power........thus the reason for bring power in from off site.
Tbar
back to the west coast getting hit by the tsunami
didnt they have nearly 8 hrs of early warning to get ships and boats out or clear of threat areas?
the footage shows small boats getting beat to pieces and i cant help but wonder, if you had notice...why leave your boat in the water?
sort of like leaving it in harms way or deliberate damage.