DGDevin wrote:


"Hank" wrote in message
...


Let me say that I know nothing about Nuclear Power Plants. But from
the reports I have read/heard, the major problem was the fact that
both back-up water pumping stations (both the diesel generator
operated pump and battery operated pumps failed. Why don't they have a
steam turbine/steam reciprocating pump as back-up? The reactor
produces steam, steam runs the pumps. All is good.

The reactors are designed to automatically SCRAM (shut down) in an
emergency situation like a major earthquake. And there is no guarantee
that the tsunami wouldn't have disrupted regular power production just
as it did the backup power. If the backup systems and their plumbing
had been tougher that would probably have been sufficient, but for some
bizarre reason this whole plant was insanely vulnerable.

I have not heard there was damage from the earthquake.

The plant was protected from tsunami by a seawall. They did not envision
a quake as strong as what occurred and thus did not expect a tsunami as
high as occurred (design error). The plant is very near the sea -
presumably for cooling water. Emergency generators, in one report, were
in the basement and flooded (likely design error). From the rather poor
reporting it sounds like if they would have had emergency electrical
power for the pumps both the reactors and spent rod pools would have
been OK.

Reports are they are working on getting electric power to the plant,
which implies that the plant pumps can do the cooling. On the other hand
reporting of what is known is pretty poor, and a lot appears to not be
known. The US NRC says the spent rod pool at reactor 4 is dry (which is
apparently not entirely certain). As of last night that spent rod pool
was the major source of released radiation.

People are generally not supposed to be with in 12? mi of the plant. Out
to 29 miles you are supposed to stay inside and try to seal the
building. A lot depends on weather. So far wind has been mostly out to
sea. (So the US carrier moved to the west side of Japan.) If the wind
blows onshore health risks go up. And that can be 'excessive' cancers
years later. Years after Chernobyl thyroid cancer is far elevated.