Japan Nuclear Watch, May 19: Critical Safety Vent Failures Could Happen Here Too
By: Scarecrow, Firedog Lake
Thursday May 19, 2011 7:19 am
As we’ve explained in previous Japan Watch posts, that sequence led inexorably to near total meltdown of the fuel core inside the reactor vessels at Units 1-3. (All of Unit 4’s fuel was in the storage pool, which presents problems.) TEPCO now concedes these meltdowns were likely total.
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Although earlier expert analyses and TEPCO announcements suggested only partial meltdowns and varying levels of water covering parts of each reactor’s core, it now appears the cores were completely uncovered for some period early on - within the first hours or days - resulting in near total meltdown at each unit. That means the melted fuel is now puddled at the bottom of each reactor vessel, though it is thought (because of low temperatures) to be covered with whatever cooling water can be injected into each reactor vessel.Earlier this week, they realized Unit 1’s vessel has one or more holes, leaks, allowing water and possibly melted fuel to leak out of the vessel onto the containment structure floor. The reports vary, but they suggest that tons of water, which they’ve been injecting into the core in desperate efforts to keep the core covered, have now found its way into the reactor building’s basement. Water from other units has leaked from other places, including adjacent turbine buildings and some has reached the ocean.
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As we know, there were hydrogen-related explosions in all four units – that is, they waited too long, or, as they’re now discovering, the venting systems failed.
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The Times report very helpfully reminds readers that all of the US reactors with the same GE design have essentially the same (new! improved!) venting systems as the ones that failed at Fukushima Daiichi. GE didn’t comment on the story.So the next time someone tells you that, unlike those careless Japanese utilities and not too diligent regulators, we have much safer systems and our safety measures are “safer,” just remember this story, because it ain’t so.
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