Mag 8.9 Sendai Earthquake
By
Acemace,
Posted on: 2011-03-11 04:28 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
One can only hope for the best, the next two weeks aren't looking that much better...
As soon as I saw the news I went straight to twitter to check on a friend who lives in Japan, thankfully he had updated, said he was fine. A little shaken (no pun intended) but no damage beyond some rumblings where he's at. His wife was a little closer to the trouble but was okay as well thankfully. I'm still trying to track down another friend and praying she's okay. As silly as it sounds, thanks everyone for the prayers and donations and everything. Those of us with loved ones over there really appreciate it too.
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Modern nuclear power plants, of which I understand the Japanese ones in question are relatively state of the art, are designed with multiple safety systems and safety design features. My suspicion is that while the situation is very serious in the technical sense, its probably under more control than the general press is implying.|
Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Just caught some of Rachel Maddow's coverage on the five reactors that are at risk of meltdown. Pretty serious stuff. Pray that things cool back down without any more incident.
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Most such reactors have emergency cooling systems that can be used to avert a catastrophic loss of cooling capacity. So far I haven't read or heard of any of the reactors in question using them, which suggests to me they still believe the situation can be contained, and doesn't warrant using the last card in the deck yet. If they've lost access to these, or attempt to use them and they fail, then I would start worrying.
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There are two sites, one with two reactors, one with three. Each site has a problem with one of their reactors. From my understanding the reactors were shutdown but the primary and backup cooling systems aren't working because ironically the power plants need external power to run them and the wave took out to much of the electrical grid infrastructure and damaged the diesel backup generators on site.
The pictures of the wave overtaking the Sendai airport was frighting to watch, as well as the car park full of new cars waiting to be shipped overseas being swept up, rearranged and from the pictures earlier today, are now on fire.
Tokyo is relatively intact with the biggest event across the bay in Chiba with a refinery on fire. The pictures this morning of that looked very much like a Kaiju film.
This map and this list of quakes on that map should give you all an idea how much activity is going on there. They had a Mag 7.2 foreshock two days before and six Mag 6.3 to 7.1 aftershocks with in 90 minutes of the Mag 8.9.
They just had another Mag 6.8 about 3 to 4 hours ago.
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Actually this is incorrect. Two sites. One with six reactors. One with four.|
Originally Posted by Father Xmas
There are two sites, one with two reactors, one with three. Each site has a problem with one of their reactors. From my understanding the reactors were shutdown but the primary and backup cooling systems aren't working because ironically the power plants need external power to run them and the wave took out to much of the electrical grid infrastructure and damaged the diesel backup generators on site.
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Mixed reports regarding the one with six reactors on whether it is one or two reactors that are experiencing serious problems, with pressure inside the core of one of those reactors reported to be double the normal level. A controlled venting of radioactive gas has already occurred at this reactor. And as of 5:30 gmt, Japanese nuclear authorities are saying that there is now a high probability of meltdown of the core.
The other site, with four reactors, has lost cooling control at three of the four reactors. It was restored prior to the wave. The wave knocked out the generators. Now they are on battery backup to prevent meltdown.
It's serious.
Someone very important to me was in Onahama and I think I'm gonna be sick.
A friend of mine linked me to something that might help if anyone knows anyone who is or might be affected by the Sendai Earthquake and Tsunami.
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Very sad. Hope the worst is gone, and the better soon follows. Condolances to your lost ones.
It looks like AlJazeera has stopped significant coverage of the earthquake/aftermath. In looking for a better live source, I was just linked to a ustream livestream of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corp), basically Japan's PBS.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nhk-gtv2
Don't know how long this livestream is going to stay active; ustream feeds tend to be kind of volatile.
I'm going to update the OP with the new links in this thread.
Lucky666, good luck to you and yours. You're in my thoughts.
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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Except that this one is a 1970 reactor according to the BBC.|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Modern nuclear power plants, of which I understand the Japanese ones in question are relatively state of the art, are designed with multiple safety systems and safety design features. My suspicion is that while the situation is very serious in the technical sense, its probably under more control than the general press is implying.
Most such reactors have emergency cooling systems that can be used to avert a catastrophic loss of cooling capacity. So far I haven't read or heard of any of the reactors in question using them, which suggests to me they still believe the situation can be contained, and doesn't warrant using the last card in the deck yet. If they've lost access to these, or attempt to use them and they fail, then I would start worrying. |
Shocking stat, this earthquake was thousands of times bigger than the Christchurch one (1 mag = 30 times bigger).
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and even then, it wasn't the earthquake itself that damaged the Reactors, but the massive Tsunami that followed. |
Originally Posted by Minotaur
Except that this one is a 1970 reactor according to the BBC.
Shocking stat, this earthquake was thousands of times bigger than the Christchurch one (1 mag = 30 times bigger). |
Reuters is reporting (no other confirmation so far) that the Japanese Government is confirming an explosion at Plant 1, and extending the evacuation zone to 10km.
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The AP also confirms there was an explosion at Fukushima Dai-ichi, but fortunately it appears the reactor casing is intact. They also say that radiation levels and reactor pressure have decreased.|
Originally Posted by je_saist
and even then, it wasn't the earthquake itself that damaged the Reactors, but the massive Tsunami that followed.
Reuters is reporting (no other confirmation so far) that the Japanese Government is confirming an explosion at Plant 1, and extending the evacuation zone to 10km. |
Evacuation radius is currently reported at 12miles (20km).
AP.org article
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Situation continues to degrade. Reactor 2 is now seeing a temperature rise.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/76962.html
Also reports that the in the wake of the turbine explosion, the ceiling over reactor 1's containment has collapsed. Mixed reports that the rods of reactor 1 were out of the water about 18". That's a meltdown.
Edit: according to this article, meltdown in progress is now confirmed:
http://www.business-standard.com/ind...last/128777/on
As a preventative measure, the Japanese government will be distributing iodine to protect against any release of radioactive iodine. (Iodine binds to the thyroid gland and prevents uptake of radioactive iodine.)
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About the only good news is that one of Russia's Nuclear experts, Yaroslov Shtrombakh, thinks a Chernobyl-type meltdown is unlikely.
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Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Situation continues to degrade. Reactor 2 is now seeing a temperature rise.
http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/76962.html Also reports that the in the wake of the turbine explosion, the ceiling over reactor 1's containment has collapsed. Mixed reports that the rods of reactor 1 were out of the water about 18". That's a meltdown. Edit: according to this article, meltdown in progress is now confirmed: http://www.business-standard.com/ind...last/128777/on |
I really, really hope that's the case, je_saist. Am I the only one thinking that I've seen and been through more natural disasters in the last three months than in the last three decades?
I watched the Queensland floods from where I live, saw the biggest tropical cyclone in Australia's history hit the coast, saw the flooding in another state, then watched the horror of Christchurch and now this. And as a friend pointed out today, it's possible one triggered the other. With New Zealand's tectonic plate movement, it's possible that this was a 'reaction' of sorts as the plates shift in adjustment.
I am only thankful that Australia doesn't sit on a faultline but rather sits on top of a plate. We only have to worry about tsunamis, floods, cyclones, fires....I have a good friend who lives in Japan. I really hope they're safe.
S.
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Not entirely sure this is the case. E.G. I remember earthquakes in California, Hurricane Bonnie, Hurricane Hugo, and the like.|
Originally Posted by SuperOz
I really, really hope that's the case, je_saist. Am I the only one thinking that I've seen and been through more natural disasters in the last three months than in the last three decades?
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I think it's more a case that the reporting and coverage of natural disasters is more widespread. 10 years ago the only way an average person would hear about a natural disaster was on the evening news.
Today the average person is more likely to have an internet connection, email, or cellphone, all which facilitate rapid communication.
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| ...And as a friend pointed out today, it's possible one triggered the other. With New Zealand's tectonic plate movement, it's possible that this was a 'reaction' of sorts as the plates shift in adjustment. |
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| I am only thankful that Australia doesn't sit on a faultline but rather sits on top of a plate. We only have to worry about tsunamis, floods, cyclones, fires....I have a good friend who lives in Japan. I really hope they're safe. |
I sort of hope this doesn't set Nuclear power itself back though. I can just can see people declaring how unsafe Nuclear power is... entirely forgetting that the reactors got hit with multiple earthquakes and a frigging 3 story high wave of solid water.
It looks like some sources are updating the main earthquake from 8.9 to either 9.0 or 9.1, depending on the source. Going by the 9.1 Mw rating given by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, this makes the fourth largest earthquake IN RECORDED HISTORY. That's friggen scary, guys!
Note that the USGS is still listing it as an 8.9. It's not uncommon for research centers to disagree on magnitudes.
The nuclear power plant that exploded was actually a hydrogen explosion, not a nuclear explosion. That doesn't make it BETTER (parts of the facilities are still officially in meltdown status), but at least it isn't as scary a prospect.
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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My understanding is that if/when any meltdown does/has occur/occured from this type of core, it will not be a nuclear explosion but rather a dangerous and significantly high volume release of several highly radioactive isotopes.|
Originally Posted by Aggelakis
The nuclear power plant that exploded was actually a hydrogen explosion, not a nuclear explosion. That doesn't make it BETTER (parts of the facilities are still officially in meltdown status), but at least it isn't as scary a prospect.
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Contamination and radiation poisoning are the real concerns here. As well as the fact that the region is also currently a natural disaster site which will complicate any containment and decontamination efforts.
Correct me if I'm wrong but: Death by radiation poisoning, cancer, infertility, developmental defects, and uninhabitability in the vicinity of the release are the real concerns.
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My bad. That's what I get by not looking up info on that site (Fukushima Daiichi) but relying on the photos of the first four reactors on that site. I wrongly assumed the smallest building simply housed spent fuel rods. I didn't consider that the first reactor was much smaller than those other three. The remaining two reactors on the site are a short distance away. The second power station, Fukushima Daini, is a few miles down the coast.|
Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Actually this is incorrect. Two sites. One with six reactors. One with four.
Mixed reports regarding the one with six reactors on whether it is one or two reactors that are experiencing serious problems, with pressure inside the core of one of those reactors reported to be double the normal level. A controlled venting of radioactive gas has already occurred at this reactor. And as of 5:30 gmt, Japanese nuclear authorities are saying that there is now a high probability of meltdown of the core. The other site, with four reactors, has lost cooling control at three of the four reactors. It was restored prior to the wave. The wave knocked out the generators. Now they are on battery backup to prevent meltdown. It's serious. |
The hydrogen gas explosion simply deskinned the steel building built around the containment dome.
It's sounding a lot like the Three Mile Island accident, at least what's happening to the reactor itself. The extended the evacuation radius around the first plant to 20 KM, the second plant to 10 KM.
Official company press release from Daiichi and Daini plants about each reactor's status. List of their press releases in English here.
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Heard, by way of person to person etc., that our guy in Sapporo is okay--just without communications.
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Yes, but a lot of people are freaking out that "a nuclear plant exploded". It didn't. Well, technically, I guess it did - but it wasn't a "nuclear explosion" - it was "just" some hydrogen, which damaged the building/containment, but no nuclear explosion occurred. The plant was in official meltdown status already, even before the hydrogen explosion. (Not full-on "omg poop hitting fan we're all gonna die"; there are "stages"/"degrees" of meltdown.)|
Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
My understanding is that if/when any meltdown does/has occur/occured from this type of core, it will not be a nuclear explosion but rather a dangerous and significantly high volume release of several highly radioactive isotopes.
Contamination and radiation poisoning are the real concerns here. As well as the fact that the region is also currently a natural disaster site which will complicate any containment and decontamination efforts. Correct me if I'm wrong but: Death by radiation poisoning, cancer, infertility, developmental defects, and uninhabitability in the vicinity of the release are the real concerns. |
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Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
Heard, by way of person to person etc., that our guy in Sapporo is okay--just without communications.
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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Double posting to give an awesome link I just found: tri-view
This is three ustream live feeds:
NHK Japanese (Left)
NHK World (English) (Middle)
YokosoNews (a guy broadcasting Japanese news and translating it) (Right) -- Occasionally YokosoNews goes quiet as he gathers new story details.
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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Just caught some of Rachel Maddow's coverage on the five reactors that are at risk of meltdown. Pretty serious stuff. Pray that things cool back down without any more incident.