On Mar 20, 10:33*pm, Jon Elson wrote:
Too_Many_Tools wrote:

Expecting a tsuami after an earthquake is common knowledge.

The fact that the reactors were not tsuami hardened is
surprising...very surprising.

I think people will be going to jail.

And you are right in that some very brave people are trying to clean
up the mess.

I got a tour of the nuclear plant in our state (MO) way back around 1980
while it was under construction. *I forget the affiliation, I think it was
Society of Mechanical Engineers, or possible Institute of Electrical and
Electronic Engineers. *So, we got a MUCH more detailed tour than most
people. *They had six HUGE Diesel generators for backup power, plus some
battery backup to allow time for the generators to start, and support the
control and monitoring gear.

The entire plant is on a hill well above the Missouri river where it gets
its water supply. *That protects it from floods. *They have an elevated
tank on site to provide borated water in a major emergency, although they'd
need pumps to force it in against the reactor's normal pressure. *If there
was a major leak, however, they could let the water flow in by gravity,
although that would be a real mess.

It is a pressurized water reactor.

They really should have had the Dai-ichi reactors up on a hill also,
artificially constructed, if necessary. *A big hill is way better than any
kind of flood walls.

Jon

I noticed the absence of any elevation with the Japanese reactors too.

They are esentially at sea level.

To this observer, it seems to be a very serious mistake.

TMT