Japan Earthquake and Tsunami......

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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.


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Stroked68

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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

:doh: ok explain it one more time but slower haha. Sounds like they are using a dumb system to me. Especially for a place that has earthquakes and stuff like that in the past. Seems to me that system is a good system for a place that gets more disasters than texas.
 

powerboatr

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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 :coffee
 

Tbar

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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 :coffee

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.


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powerboatr

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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.


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thanks
i understand the need for maintenance power, but
 

Fine69

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Most Coal fired Power Plants in the US use outside sources for Power. I know EVERY plant I've been in does. It's cheaper, no need for a Sub Station on site to lower voltage, no Maintenance of said Sub Station, etc, etc. You get the idea. This of course doesn't count for the SCR's most plants now have. I know a BIG plant we just worked has 3 VERY large Turbines. 1 of them is used solely to power the SCR, or Scrubber which removes the Sulphur and Flue Gases before emitting from the stack.
 
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powerboatr

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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.
 

94f450sd

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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.

insurance.got a boat thats worth a few bux?need money bad?what better way to get some coin in your pocket than to leave it in the water and let it get wrecked.
 

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