8.8 Magnitude Earthquake hit Japan

[SMKR]

[SMKR]

[SMKR]

[03trubluGT]

In other news, Sushi reaches an all time high. Plan to shell out over $100 for a single meal.

[grove rat]

i was on a nuclear sub in the navy and i know how important the primary and secondary cooling loops are to a reactor

the diesels were the 2nd to last resort as far as keeping the reactor cool(to my knowledge), last option is batteries but they can only run those big pumps for so long. if those diesels got swamped while running they are most likely trashed

[AdamLX]

Random dude on the site. There are quite a few knowledgeable people on there though, and it wouldn't surprise me if some in that thread are in the nuclear power industry.

It's pronounce nu-cu-lar.

[Strychnine]

Very well said. Was that just some random dudes opinion, or an expert in the area?

Random dude on the site. There are quite a few knowledgeable people on there though, and it wouldn't surprise me if some in that thread are in the nuclear power industry.

quote from another site:




Also, it wasn't the earthquake itself that did the damage. It was the wall of water that swamped the backup diesel generators and subsequently killed the pumping power that got them in this situation.

Very well said. Was that just some random dudes opinion, or an expert in the area?

[Strychnine]

so now its goin to be BLAH BLAH nuclear power is unsafe and any plants scheduled to be built in the US are going to come to a screeching halt

quote from another site:

You have to keep things in perspective.
Nuclear energy is safe...at least as safe as anything else that is man-made.
The Earth has the capacity for devastating energy...volcanos, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, severe weather patterns.......the planet is a dynamic place. There is NOTHING that humans bave built that can withstand the forces of nature. It isnt the nuclear power plant that failed...frankly, nothing has failed...this is simply what happens when you apply an 8.9 earthquake to 1970's construction.

I hate to sound like a fatalist, but we are mortal.
On a day to day basis I think we all tend to lose sight of the fact that the potential for catastrophic events does exist...and that there isnt anything a mortal man can do to prevent these acts or even effectively mitigate against the expected outcomes.

Dont buy into the arguments that will surely arise from the anti-nuclear folks in the coming weeks....blaming the design of the reactor for the effects of the earthquake is a bit like blaming the architects of the WTC's for not designing it to withstand the impact of a jumbo airliner flown squarely into it.

Given unlimited funding and all the scientific resources available, if asked to design a structure that could withstand the forces of any natural disaster, a realistic result would still be a best effort...not a miracle structure that will exist following all imaginable force.

Also, it wasn't the earthquake itself that did the damage. It was the wall of water that swamped the backup diesel generators and subsequently killed the pumping power that got them in this situation.

I've been going through some of the pictures, and man. I wouldn't want to be in charge of that clean up. It's the most devastation I've ever seen to a modernized country. Usually shit like this hits the 3rd world. It will take them a decade to get it all back to somewhat normal.

[46Tbird]

Goes to show what happens when you build nuclear reactors on the most active fault line in existence.

true.

[Sgt Beavis]

so now its goin to be BLAH BLAH nuclear power is unsafe and any plants scheduled to be built in the US are going to come to a screeching halt

The counter argument is that those Japanese reactors are OVER 40 years old. They don't have nearly the safety improvements of current reactors..

Goes to show what happens when you don't modernize your power plants.

[black50]

so now its goin to be BLAH BLAH nuclear power is unsafe and any plants scheduled to be built in the US are going to come to a screeching halt

[appelingogt]

She's an awesome gal. She loves football. Heck, we actually scheduled out Japan trip so SHE wouldn't miss the NFL draft...

good looking wife bro....ugly ass shirts....jk

[mstng86]

Looks like an explosion at the plant actually lowered the pressure and radiation levels. Good news.