m$nbc: 3 nuclear reactors in trouble after Japan quake

TOKYO — Coolant systems failed at three quake-stricken Japanese nuclear reactors Saturday, sending radiation seeping outside one and temperatures rising out of control at two others.

Radiation surged to around 1,000 times the normal level in the control room of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima Daichi plant, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said. Radiation — it was not clear how much — had also seeped outside, prompting widening of an evacuation area to a six-mile radius from a two-mile radius around the plant. Earlier, 3,000 people had been urged to leave their homes.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Saturday that the temperatures of its No.1 and No.2 reactors at its Fukushima Daini nuclear power station were rising, and it had lost control over pressure in the reactors.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42025882/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

I have enough for the whole neighborhood.

They have valves that can vent off the steam, and the main radioactive component is tritium, which will dissipate quickly in the air. The main problem for these guys is the core is likely going to be destroyed, which is very costly to repair.

Thankfully BWR's don't operate that close to thermal limits, the real issue is keeping water in the core, which requires the injection pumps to have power. We'll wait and see how this plays out.

And if this is the type where the water is critical in slowing the neutrons down to keep fission going, it would lose heat after the water boiled away.

I did hear that new generators are on site.

Hope the discharge effluent is isolated, especially if they isolated for a leak procedure. Solid core right after a scram is going to pop the reliefs.

I can only imagine what would happen if a solar plant melted down.

But seriously, these nuke plant issues are rather scary.

the problem is the lack of power to run the pumps. The only real fear now is another aftershock holding up the works.

Comparatively, the area occupied by Japan is slightly smaller than the state of California. It extends 3,008 km (1,869 mi) NE – SW and 1,645 km (1,022 mi) SE – NW and has a total coastline of 29,751 km (18,486 mi).

Read more: Location, size, and extent - Japan - located, area http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Asia-and-Oceania/Japan-LOCATION-SIZE-AND-EXTENT.html#ixzz1GL3VbC4y

I still remember the movie "The China Syndrome" and that statement about PA.

Radiation Levels Spike Inside Crippled Japanese Nuclear Reactor

Radiation levels inside a Japanese nuclear power plant have surged to 1,000 times their normal levels after today's 8.9-magnitude earthquake knocked out power to a cooling system, and tsunami floods have hampered efforts to get it restored.

Meanwhile, heat-induced pressure built up inside the crippled reactor, prompting widespread evacuations and stoking fears of a potentially catastrophic radioactive event.

Officials declared a "nuclear emergency" at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, about 200 miles northeast of Tokyo, when its cooling system failed to function properly after the nuclear reactor lost power and automatically shut down.

Scientists said that even though the reactor had stopped producing energy, its fuel continues to generate heat and needs steady levels of coolant to prevent it from overheating and triggering a dangerous cascade of events.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/japanese-earthquake-stokes-nuclear-fears-damaged-power-plants/story?id=13114181

Five reactors are in emergency status:

http://apne.ws/dMj9QT