On Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:59:22 -0700, Jim Stewart
wrote:

wrote:

According to this article, the recently exploded reator number 3 at
Fukushima was using "mox" as a fuel.

QUOTE: "Last year, unit 3 began using some reprocessed fuel known as
"mox," a mixture of plutonium oxide and uranium oxide, produced from
recycled material from nuclear weapons as part of a program known as
"from megatons to megawatts." UNQUOTE

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content...g.html?sid=101


This raises the stakes substantially if the core has been breached.
Plutonium is poisonous as all hell in addition to its high
radioavtivity and incredibly long half life.

*all* nuclear power reactors end up converting
some amount of their fuel to plutonium. The
percentage depends on how long the fuel has
been in the reactor.

Apparently, from what I am hearing, three of the reactors at Fukushima
were shut down for refueling.....so that would be good news if that is
a factual condition. I heard this is from an "expert" guest on a
internet radio show....so I still need to do some checking.

Regards the plutonium: even as the process converts some amount of its
fuel to plutonium, using plutonium on the front end as initial fuel
vastly increases the total amount of plutonium available to create a
poisonous mess if the containment vessel has been breached.

The explosion at Fukushima #3 looks, to me, like it blew the cement
containment cap over the reactor vessel into the sky. From the videos
available it looks to be falling back to Earth to the left in the
videos. This cap is removable by a large trolley crane during the
refueling process. It is massive and would require a HUGE explosive
force to cast as far into the sky as it appears to fly.

That would indicate a reactor vessel breach and a resultant steam
explosion as the seawater they have pumped into the containment vessel
around the reactor superheated. I do not believe the Japanese
government's story of a hydrogen explosion. They would have been able
to vent much of the hydrogen before such a massive explosion
occurred.....assuming they have at least some fundamental control over
any systems whatsoever at the facility.
Dave