About the Nuclear Power Plants that were Damaged by the Tsunami

I know many people are concerned about the instability of the nuclear reactors in Fukushima, especially with lines like "Japanese nuclear plant rocked by new explosion" on CNN's homepage. Remember the news industry is exactly that, an industry, and getting people riled up keeps the viewers tuned in. Here is an analysis a friend of mine wrote up based on his research online about the incidents.

Analysis of situation at Daiichi 1 Reactors 1 and 3

by Mitchell Templeton on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 4:05pm

I have done some research and wanted to explain to anyone who was concerned the situation at Fukushima Daiichi today.

The news reports that Reactors 1 and 3 have exploded -- yes, there were two large explosions. It's indeed frightening to think that Japan may face a similar disaster to Chernobyl, in a much denser population.

However, here is a better explanation of what happened.

Basically, the two reactors are shut down and no longer causing nuclear reactions. However, the core remains very hot and will be so for quite a while, so normally pumps operate to flood the core with cool pure water. Because the power in the plant has failed (the backup generators were hit by the tsunami) they cannot pump water into them anymore.

While this limited hot water continues to boil and evaporate, pressure builds up in the core from water vapor. To prevent the whole thing from exploding, they are releasing the vapor. The vapor is not that radioactive (one months worth of radiation in one hour is still not harmful). There are four basic "walls" in a reactor. The nuclear fuel rods, the big metal pressure container (the stereotypical metal thing you see as a nuclear fuel reactor), the large containment structure (a massive concrete building that can take the impact of a fully loaded jet liner) and then the actual building itself.

When they were venting the gas they decided instead of venting it right to the atmosphere, they'd vent it inside the building (the last part, just the building) so it could rest a while and lose potential radioactivity. Just a safety measure. However, the gas had become so hot that the hydrogen and oxygen atoms began to split, and that is explosive! So they detonated, blowing the roof off the building. So this means that the core is NOT exposed, and really nothing is changed all that much.

Now they are flooding the cores with seawater. The seawater will destroy the cores, so it's a sign that the company doesn't care about it's own future, it's putting the public's safety first. Good.

The worst thing that can really happen is that the cores are failing to cool. If this happens, then they will evacuate the concrete seal I described and close it off. The core will melt and the radioactive goo will flood the chamber. It will be sealed in there making it a disgusting nightmare to clean up, but nothing will spread.

Keep in mind that drama and terror sells in the media, so any reports are likely to be hyped up.

Too long, didn't read:

1. The explosion was not a nuclear explosion, it was just a result of leaking gas

2. The radiation leaks are not strong enough to cause any harm at all

3. Worst case scenario is that the core melts and the area around the plant will be radioactive, no harm rest of Japan or the world.

Sources:
http://morgsatlarge.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/why-i-am-not-worried-about-japans-nuclear-reactors/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Japanese_nuclear_accidents