UPDATE: Fukushima/TEPCO "periodic chain reactions"

[axollot]

http://www.fairewinds.com/content/newly-released-tepco-data-provides-evidence-periodic-chain-reaction-fukushima-unit-1

Recent press reports have discussed the possibility that Fukushima Unit 1 may be having a nuclear chain reaction. New data released by TEPCO indicates that even though Fukushima Unit 1 was shut down during the March 11 earthquake

(video link above)

Transcript for all videos available at link below - transcript for above link's video is not up yet - video is very new.

Highly rec all videos @ www.fairewinds.com/updates by Arnie Gundersen to be viewed - start w/most recent update then view all videos from the start - to get real, not sensationalized information we all have been looking for regrading the reactors in Fukushima Japan.

~Cheers
Sandy.

[Buzz Clik]

1. It's good to get some interjection of science every now and them amid the sea of other stuff.

I want to tell them to fix their bookshelves. The shelves are so horribly that they seem to be on the verge of collapsing. :(

[axollot]

3. Bookshelves in his office? Yeah well from his videos Arnie Gundersen

is only trying to improve public knowledge of what is happening. Something much worse than Chernobyl - even tho it is different - Arn has taken a lot of time and care regarding the information based on his experience with Three Mile Island and his background as a scientist in this field.

Fairewinds is an organisation that is trying to level the playing field regarding Nuclear energy and information the public receives. He has made the statement that this has already gone well beyond their "very worst case scenarios" that the industry could conceive- including him! They never expected any of these plants to have no water in their pools for example. Or no power for extended period of time as the Fukushima plant did.

Cheers
Sandy

[axollot]

2. Edit to add more info from video (still waiting for transcript)

Recent press reports have discussed the possibility that Fukushima Unit 1 may be having a nuclear chain reaction. New data released by TEPCO indicates that even though Fukushima Unit 1 was shut down during the March 11 earthquake, it appears to have "gone critical" again without human intervention. The detection by TEPCO of short-lived radioactive isotopes substantiates the existence of this inadvertent criticality.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Very impressive.

bookmarking, reccing.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. What are the current temperature readings for #1?

We don't know the status of the material still in the cores.

[girl gone mad]

6. My question..

I thought the reactors had good neutron shielding, which is why I assumed a beam would also indicate damage to containment. Are beams something the workers have to contend with normally?

He does a good job. I would also add that neutrons are unstable and decay into protons within minutes (then pick up free electrons to become hydrogen). This is why the presence of an unexpected number of neutrons would indicate very recent chain reactions.

The chain reactions will generate heat and can potentially raise the steady state power levels in the reactor, but the heat will also cause the fuel to expand which will slow the reaction down so it is self-regulating to some degree. The fission products released in these chain reactions are a bigger concern, in my view, especially if there are breaches. It makes the environment for the workers much more dangerous.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. He calls the reactors "chernobyl on steroids".

NOT calming at all.
I found the http://vimeo.com/21532283 site which has about 12 of his videos going back 8 days, so I am listening/
watching from the the oldest to newest.
( for some reason, the Fairewinds site is not making vids visible).

[Raksha]

10. The Fairewinds site was offline when I tried to access it a minute ago.

I tried to watch the video but it wouldn't play, so then I clicked on the home page. What I got instead was a message saying the site was offline because of technical difficulties.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. That's my fault-I have been watching his videos on the site all afternoon.

Seriously, keep trying.
I had to enter his name ( Arnie gunderson) into the search box. Then his vids came up,. you want to listen to the bottom ones ( the oldest) first and work your way to the top.
Warning:
He is not telling us good news.

[thereismore]

11. Great link. Awesome! nt

[Bluebear]

8. Please continue shopping though. And the Gulf seafood is safe to eat.

[hayu_lol]

9. It has been my understanding...

that when the control rods are properly inserted, fission continues but is controlled...not able to move to higher power settings. Fission is a chain reaction taking place.

Problem for all of us is that every expert and so-called expert tends to use a vocabulary that only they understand...all different from each other. They throw terms around even when they mean little.

Reactors, once at operating levels, continue to produce chain reactions(fission).

Can anyone here shed some light on this?

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. I do recommend the videos we have been discussing above.

The guy is cool, VERY experienced, and he explains what all the terms means, in basic language, so even I can understand it.
In one video he mentioned that one of the reactors was having an uncontrolled fission process. He explains why.

[themadstork]

14. Fission does not necessarily occur within a chain reaction.

I believe the fission that occurs when the control rods are properly inserted is spontaneous (ie radioactive decay). Spontaneous fission can start a chain reaction if a critical mass is present. I have no idea how the fuel in this case would go critical. Did something happen to the control rods? Did the fuel all melt and heap into critical mass? How does this happen?


I am only a lowly English major, so no guarantees that anything I say re nuclear reactions is sound. caveat emptor, etc.

[jimlup]

16. As I understand it...

Yes, the uranium in the rods melted and apparently it melted enough to pool in clumps. If that happens the control rods can't do anything. The control rods simply absorb neutrons between rods but if the rods melt into a mass and that mass is close enough together, control rods don't help. It is a matter of enough U235 in one place. If the average chance of a neutron from a single fission encountering another uranium atom within its path then a fission chain reaction will restart.

Yeah, unfortunately criticality accidents are not that rare actually. Everyone hoped that it wouldn't happen here, hoping that the fuel wouldn't pool in clumps big enough for criticality to occur. Unfortunately, as any engineer will tell you, wishful thinking is never a good engineering strategy.

[themadstork]

15. Has this been confirmed? Any other sources saying the fuel achieved criticality? Anyone know?nt

[jimlup]

17. Yes, There have been other reports.

The only other report that I've seen was on FOX NEWS unfortunately. However, what we need to recognize is that you don't see neutron fluxes unless there is something like fission going on. Neutrons have been observed at Fukushima. Also if Chlorine-37 is present, there must be very recent fission taking place.