Did TEPCO admit that a "nuclear chain reaction" occurred in the spent fuel pool?

amerfayed

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:08 PM
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Did TEPCO admit that a "nuclear chain reaction" occurred in the spent fuel pool?

Reflections on a fortnight in Fukushima, BBC, March 24, 2011:

� Perhaps the most tantalising is a report by Kyodo News, Japan�s principal news agency, to the effect that neutron radiation was observed more than a kilometre from reactor buildings 1 and 2.

Neutrons are emitted during a nuclear chain reaction; so given the context, is Kyodo�s report to be taken as indicating that a chain reaction took place after the reactors shut down?

If it is, does that relate to the company�s warning last week that there was a possibility of �re-criticality� in a pool storing fuel rods? �

March 23: Neutron beam seen 13 times at Fukushima

March 20: �Renewed nuclear chain reaction feared at spent-fuel storage pool�: Sunday at 11:15 am ET � Kyodo

http://enenews.com/march-24-bbc-neutrons-are-emitted-during-a-nuclear-chain-reaction-march-20-kyodo-nuclear-chain-reaction-feared-at-spent-fuel-pool

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jpak

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:11 PM
Response to Original message

1. If they detect a steady neutron flux - there is criticality happenin' somewhere

and that's not good

especially if they cannot determine where the neutron source is located

yup

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Junkdrawer

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:13 PM
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2. This guy thinks it might be Plutonium....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x566374

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xchrom

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:15 PM
Response to Original message

3. Oy. Nt

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Teaser

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:16 PM
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4. not necessarily

subcritical chain reactions are possible, and free neutrons will be evolved in those situations. But the neutron flux would die out rapidly, I'd imagine, unless it hit criticality.

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FBaggins

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:21 PM
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5. No. Neutron emissions are not limited to chain reactions.

And the detected level is too low to be a sustained reaction anyway.

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ReturnoftheDjedi

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Thu Mar-24-11 07:41 PM
Response to Reply #5

7. no big deal, right?

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FBaggins

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Thu Mar-24-11 08:06 PM
Response to Reply #7

8. 0.01 to 0.02 microsieverts per hour?

No.. that's not a big deal.

That's about what you get from sleeping in the same room as a smoke alarm.

Do you consider that to be a big deal?

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Sirveri

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Thu Mar-24-11 04:21 PM
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6. Plutonium decay's via spontaneous fission

This produces neutrons.

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