Northern Japan hit by 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

[Yuki-Anne]

Nate, thank you so much for that information. Kaori's post made me freak out a little because I live less than 100 mi. from the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

[Kaori]

ゴメン、雪

The article I posted earlier was a bit vague; after reading up on it a bit more, apparently “low-level radiationâ€

[Hiryu]

I found this article very informative and useful for nuclear plants and insight about what happened while the disaster struck inside the plant.

http://www.businessinsider.com/japan-reactors-pose-no-risk-2011-3-1

[Roy Mustang]

Remember that if worst comes to worst, they can flood the reactors with seawater which will render them completely harmless...the only reason they're not doing that now is because flooding the reactors with seawater permanently destroys them.

I really don't understand why they are not flooding the reactor that is giving them the most problems with seawater. That reactor was in the plans to be retried after this month.

[blkmage]

I believe they are actually doing that now and have been for at least the last day or two.

[TopazRaven]

I believe they are actually doing that now and have been for at least the last day or two.

Yes, from what I have read they have been flooding the reactors out with seawalter for the last two days.

[Nate]

Yes, they've already flooded one with sea water, had been doing a second as of yesterday, and were making preps to flood the third this morning if cooling procedures fail.

In the end, this will end up being another Three Mile Island. The final effect on the world is likely to be similar: no deaths, minimal external contamination, and a tremendous PR disaster for the nuclear industry due to bad reporting by the media.

[Tsukuyomi]

I remember hearing about it on the news yesterday. They even had Bill Nye The Science Guy on CNN to explain things o.o

[Nate]

Bill Nye doesn't know crap about nuclear science. He's actually completely ignorant of how nuclear power plants work, and anything he said should be discarded since he doesn't know what he's talking about.

[byrocat]

I think that the seawater treatment is not to stop the reaction but to get rid of the heat within the core before the core itself starts to melt (read Chernoble type event). I don't have enough information on the basic design of the reactors so I can't really speak to the actual purpose of the water.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scram

[mechana2015]

Last I heard they were mixing the seawater with a metal that impedes nuclear reaction. The core itself has, by all admissions already started to melt, which is what caused the hydrogen gas buildup in the other two reactors and the loss of water in the third. The results will be more like 3 mile island, even if there is another explosion, due to the safety features inherant to the design of modern reactors due to to the containment shells over them.

[Davidizer13]

There's been an explosion at the No. 2 reactor in the Fukushima plant; same causes as the last two (excess hydrogen buildup). If the reactor wasn't totally hosed before, between the other explosions and the corrosive seawater they're pumping in, it is now.

[shooraijin]

The reactor is clearly shot. However, the amount of radiation that is actually being released, while high compared to standards, only appears high because the standards are so stringent. Realistically, it's a testament to their construction that after such massive damage they are still mostly manageable.

I'm looking into the reports of some cases of radiation poisoning, but I'm having trouble finding them in reliable sources, and those that do report it seem to get it all from one source (a Russian news agency). The number reported by that source is 15.

The bigger issue is low-level contamination from particulate matter thrown off by the explosions, which is why the US Navy repositioned itself as a precaution. Simply cleaning off everything with soap and water was sufficient to decontaminate the ships that were affected.

[Yamamaya]

Bill Nye doesn't know crap about nuclear science. He's actually completely ignorant of how nuclear power plants work, and anything he said should be discarded since he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Silence infidel or Bill Nye the Science Guy will cleanse you in the fires of destruction!


On a serious note, it appears the Japanese officials are taking proactive steps to check everyone for radition and ensure that those infected are given some iodine pills.

I want to help in some way. Yet I'm not sure which organization to donate to.

[Yuki-Anne]

Yamamaya, crashjapan.com. You can donate through jema.org. These are the people I am working with right now to bring relief, and we've got four teams on the ground right now.

[ChristianKitsune]

It's hard to discern if anything good is happening over there... and sorting through all the news articles is proving to be very sad. My heart goes out to the families and victims over there. You are not alone.

[Yuki-Anne]

http://news.yahoo.com/video/weather-15749664/staying-strong-in-the-face-of-tragedy-24526601

It is horrible that this is happening, but there is something really amazing about the people around us. Good things are happening. They are small, but we need to see God's goodness in a situation like this. Trust me, that's hard for me to say when even as I write this I hear the voices of the suffering on the radio, crying. This situation is horrible, but God is good.

I have come into contact with so many new people via the internet because of this disaster. I am unable to leave my home for fear of rising radiation levels. Understand that these are not deadly levels, and so far they aren't even threatening to human health. But everyone is scared here. So we stay inside, save electricity as much as we can, and wait.

One of the people I came into contact with is from South Africa. She asked if my parents were worried, and then asked, "Why don't you just go home?"

I told her, "No way." I told her I believe God called me here for a reason, and I may not understand why this is happening, but I believe God's grace and love is here, and even though I could die, I'm staying.

As it turns out, this woman was not Christian. I didn't know that. But she said that maybe God was already using this situation, because even from so far away, she said she is being influenced by my faith.

It's a small thing. I can't help anybody, it feels like, not being able to leave my home. But God is working. In the midst of this heartwrenching pain, God is working. It's so hard, and I don't understand why this is happening. I don't have answers for people about why God would let something like this happen. I don't even have answers for me about why He would let so much death and pain hit this beautiful country, this place that has captured my heart and my soul. But I cling to the faith that He is good, and He is working.

Courage, Dear Heart.

[Sammy Boy]

I think perhaps this is the kind of ministry that God is getting you to participate in with Him during this time of tragedy.

I watched the video from the link you posted, and even though the majority of Japanese are not Christians, I definitely feel that their sense of unity and "togetherness" is something Christians can learn from.

Thank you for sharing.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Yuki-Anne, you're amazing mate. Such an encourager and inspiration to us all. I can't imagine everything you're going through at the moment but your faith both humbles and challenges me. Keep at it. Praying for you and the rest of Japan.

[Jingo Jaden]

My money was sent to redd barna 'save the children' They already had a base of operations there and they adapted rather quickly to the situation.

[Scarecrow]

So... how are the problems with the reactors? I'm still finding stuff dated today that says it's possible or something. Not sure how true that is but anyway. After really getting interested in the Chernobyl disaster and finding out all about that, I'm really concerned now. And too think Chernobyl wasn't as bad as it could have been o_O I've always been against nuclear power just because radiation and such creeps me out and I knew it can really effect the environment but now I'm REALLY against it. I didn't know they effect it like that and for that long. They all need to be shut down...

[Nate]

Sigh. There's so much wrong with your post I won't get into it because if I do I'll be condescending and rude. I'll just simply say you don't understand nuclear power, the fact you're even comparing Chernobyl to this proves it.

[mechana2015]

If you're basing your opinions on Chernobyl you have about 20-30 years of nuclear reactor design history that you need to go read. Also, if you've read up so much on Chernobyl you'd know that it was caused by human error and disabling many of the safety features that the reactor had, something that no sane person would ever do.

[Nate]

Okay, feeling a bit calmer now, so I'll respond rationally. But first, an update as I understand it:

8:00AM GMT, March 15th: The situation at reactors #2 and #4 continues to develop. Reactors #1 and #3 are still considered stable, reactor #2 is being filled with water again, and the fire at reactor #4 is out.

First of all. What has happened in reactor #1 and #3 is a "partial fuel melt". This means that the fuel core has suffered damage from heat but the containment vessels are intact and no fuel has escaped containment. Core #2 is suspected to have experienced minor damage. Confinement on reactor #2 is holding but still at risk, although water levels are rising and pumping is continuing.

Second. This cannot turn into another Chernobyl. It is impossible for that to happen. Here is why:

1. Chernobyl used graphite as a neutron moderator and water as a coolant. For complicated reasons, this meant that as the coolant heated up and converted to steam, the fission reaction intensified, converting even more water to steam, leading to a feedback effect. The Fukushima reactors use water as both the coolant and the neutron moderator, which means that as the water heats up and converts to steam, the reaction slows down instead. (The effect of the conversion of water coolant to steam on the performance of a nuclear reactor is known as the "void coefficient", and can be either positive or negative.)

2. Chernobyl was designed so that as the nuclear fuel heated up, the fission reaction intensified, heating the core even further, causing another feedback effect. In the Fukushima reactors, the fission reaction slows down as the fuel heats up. (The effect of heating of the nuclear fuel on the performance of a nuclear reactor is known as the "temperature coefficient", and can also be positive or negative.)

3. Chernobyl's graphite moderator was flammable, and when the reactor exploded, the radioactive graphite burned and ended up in the atmosphere. The Fukushima reactors use water as a neutron moderator, which is obviously not flammable.

4. While Chernobyl used light water as a coolant (as distinct from heavy water), it was not a "light water reactor". The term LWR refers strictly to reactors that use light water for both cooling and neutron moderation.

The closest thing that could happen to a Chernobyl-like incident is if the spent fuel rods at the site caught fire and continued to burn. This could create large amounts of radioactive smoke, which would be more dangerous that the vented steam because it would contain nuclear material with much longer lives. So far, this appears to have been averted, but the possibility remains.

Finally

They all need to be shut down...

You want to send Japan back to medieval times? I explained in a previous post there is literally no other way besides nuclear power to supply electricity to Japan for most of the country. Shutting down all nuclear reactors would plunge Japan into chaos because there would be no electricity. Are you really advocating setting back their society a couple of hundred years? Are you really advocating completely cutting off Japan from the rest of the world? Remember airports need electricity too to function properly. I'm sure Yuki wouldn't appreciate being completely isolated from her family and friends.

This is a serious accident, but so far it is no Chernobyl. There have been no deaths, no loss of reactor containment, and no release of long-lived radioactive material. But then again, "Reactor safety features work as intended; very small chance of lasting damage" doesn't make for good headlines, now does it?

[blkmage]

It is worth noting that Japan has one of the highest concentrations of nuclear power in the world. You have all but one or two reactors that shut down properly in the event of an earthquake and tsunami. You have one or two reactors, despite getting hit by an earthquake and tsunami and not shutting down properly and surviving a few explosions still only leaking about 1 CT scan's worth of radiation per hour right at the door of the plant itself. That is, despite natural disasters and explosions, much of it is still being contained.

This is in contrast to the oil refinery that blew up entirely almost immediately.

[Nate]

It's always been interesting to me to see the different reactions to the different types of power when they have an accident. In Japan, you have a couple of reactors that have some admitted problems but nothing huge, and people freak out and say nuclear power should be shut down and gotten rid of.

On the other hand, you have an oil well in the Gulf that explodes, sends oil EVERYWHERE, practically destroys an entire ecosystem with the oil that leaks into the ocean, kills hundreds of animals, puts people out of jobs, and nobody screams their heads off to get rid of oil drilling.

I haven't figured it out yet. All I can think of is "OMG ATOMZ." People fear that which they don't understand.

[Atria35]

Weel, Nate, you sorta answered your own question before I could give an opinion Oil has been around for over 100 years, it's familiar, and we know how to handle it. Sorta. Our major association with nuclear power are the bombs we dropped, and it's a newer tech. People aren't as up with it as they are the traditional oil.

[Nate]

It may be familiar but I mean I can think quite a few major oil spills that have devastated the environment and killed plenty of living things, and the effects are almost as long-lasting as radiation is...heck, some reports even say the Exxon Valdez oil spill from 20 years ago is still affecting the area there. Nuclear power has had one extremely bad incident and one not so bad incident and somehow this is worse than the dozens of incidents that have happened with oil, and yet somehow nuclear power is worse?

I guess it doesn't help that people are ignorant and think nuclear power plants can explode like a bomb, but still...it's bizarre.

[ShiroiHikari]

Yeah, let's stick with bleeding the earth dry and having massive, devastating oil spills every 20 years. Nuclear power could solve a lot of our energy problems. OH NO NOT NUCLEAR POWER OH GOD OH GOD WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE.

I just don't even know. I should probably stop talking about it. Let's carry on with the original topic if we can.

[Technomancer]

A good site for news and some basic analysis:
http://mitnse.com/