Back-up cooling systems at Fukushima (#1) failed

FBaggins

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Mon May-16-11 09:57 PM
Original message

Back-up cooling systems at Fukushima (#1) failed

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has admitted that the reactors' back-up cooling systems failed to function after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

...snip...

An emergency condenser system at the Number 1 reactor functioned for less than 10 minutes after the earthquake. The failure lasted for 3 hours. The utility suspects that workers manually shut down the system as pressure inside the reactor became so low that they were afraid of damage.

Another type of back-up cooling system at the No. 1 and 2 reactors lost power when the tsunami engulfed batteries.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_04.html

Might help explain why unit #1 went so much faster (and possibly farther) than the others.

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Someguyinjapan

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Tue May-17-11 05:33 AM
Response to Original message

1. It failed? Really?

Thanks for pointing that out-but I already figured out watching #1 explode live on NHK television was a failure of the coolant system.

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FBaggins

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Tue May-17-11 05:37 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. Not just "failed" - human error.

It appears they shut it down manually.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_22.html

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Nihil

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Tue May-17-11 07:24 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. Wonderful ...

> It says if the system had worked, it may have had more time until the meltdown,
> so it will investigate developments leading up to the decision to turn it off
> and whether the move was correct.

So, of the highest severity nuclear incidents the world has known, 2/2 involved
deliberate operator actions ...

:banghead:

Quite apart from the "greed" & "corruption" aspects, the "stupidity" aspect
is proving to be a major supporting argument for the anti-nuclear lobby to
get their way ...

:-(

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GliderGuider

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Tue May-17-11 07:26 AM
Response to Reply #3

4. Einstein: The two most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity...

Edited on Tue May-17-11 07:28 AM by GliderGuider

Everytime we invent a foolproof system, Nature invents a bigger fool.

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FBaggins

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Tue May-17-11 08:00 AM
Response to Reply #3

5. It doesn't have to be "apart from greed"

We already know that there are steps that could have helped that were avoided (or at least delayed) because they were trying to save the reactors. Not "save from meltdown", but an attempt to maintain their future ability to generate power for sale.

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Nihil

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Tue May-17-11 09:31 AM
Response to Reply #5

6. I was meaning that "stupidity" has now become a third major reason ...

... not that "greed" and "corruption" were separated from "stupidity"
in any way ... nor that "greed" and "corruption" were not (or are not)
involved in the ongoing f*ckup ...

Sorry for my lack of clarity.

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