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Originally posted by IamAbeliever
This is what CNN is reporting on their website. No link to the story yet though.
An "explosive impact" occurred at the No. 2 reactor at a quake-damaged nuclear power plant in Japan, plant's owner says.
Exactly what is an "explosive impact"?
Originally posted by FlyingJadeDragon
reply to post by Chakotay
They'd better start pouring concrete if it isn't already too late.
Second Line.
The most worrying thing for me in that pic, is how close reactor number 2 is to both the other reactors. Don't be mistaken people, number 2 is their biggest worry, because the fuel has already been exposed twice due to running out of water from the cooling pumps. Why does that worry them so much? Because once the fuel has been exposed it very quickly weakens and deteriorates, making an explosion within the reactor containment vessel all the more likely if loss of cooling continues to happen. Don't forget that the fuel has been exposed twice! Why do they keep losing cooling at number 2? Well, that little explosion this morning wiped out 3 of the 4 generators they were using for running the cooling pumps on number 2. So what does this mean? Well, you could potentially have a Chernobyl on your hands with number 2 alone, no matter what they tell you. Added to that, an explosion that big, so close to the reactors 1 and 3, which already have weakend housing structures and containment vessels due to their own respective explosions.... I don't think I need to spell out for you what the potential could be. Don't believe me huh? I'm "fear mongoring" huh? You do know the Chernobyl accident happened, not because the plant was running, or the fact it had burnable containment (graphite housing), it was because the cores were exposed, making them deteriorate so quickly they exploded. Do a google on what happens to exposed nuclear fuel rods for yourself...
The concern is that if the water in the pools ever drops too low, the zirconium cladding that holds the radioactive fuel pellets would begin to heat up and eventually burn. And if it did, the smoke from the fire could carry radiation away from the plant because the pool is outside the containment.