NYT:Japan Nuclear Plant May Be Worse Off Than Thought

[bluecoat_fan]

TOKYO — The damage to one of three stricken reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant could be worse than previously thought, a recent internal investigation has shown, raising new concerns over the plant’s stability and complicating the post-disaster cleanup.

The government has said that the plant’s three badly damaged reactors have been in a relatively stable state, called a cold shutdown, for months, and officials say that continues. But new tests suggest that the plant — which was ravaged last March when a powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the area — might not be as stable as the government or the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company, or Tepco, had hoped.

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/world/asia/inquiry-suggests-worse-damage-at-japan-nuclear-plant.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss

[Esse Quam Videri]

1. Worse off than thought, by who?

Not those of us who have been paying attention.

[Yo_Mama]

2. That was a really crummy article

Just really bad.

You'd think they could do better.

[kristopher]

4. You mean it tells the truth and the truth makes nuclear power look bad?

The article briefly recaps recent developments in the status of the multiple meltdowns. It is reasonably accurate and does not sensationalize the subject matter.

I can see why you'd want to discourage people from reading it given your longstanding efforts to promote nuclear power.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. HYDROVOLCANIC EXPLOOOOOOOSIONS

[kristopher]

5. Are you OK?

The article says nothing that could be interpreted as consistent with your remark.

BTW, Fukushima just experience another 5.6 earthquake. I wonder how that cobbled together water purification system is holding up?

[AtheistCrusader]

6. I just want to know who thought

the interior of the containment wouldn't be this fucked up. When molten fuel rods splash to the catchment, there's going to be a shedload of radiation inside the containment.

Keeping it in proportion, it's a small fraction of the radiation near the exposed fiddly bits of the core at Chernobyl. (And then x3 for multiple reactors, plus some for the fuel pools)

On the upside, the vast bulk of it is INSIDE the containment, which is immeasurably better than Chernobyl.

[RobertEarl]

7. They haven't told the truth?

You mean TEPCO is hiding something from the public?

Gee, what could that be?

It's not the water they pumped through the cores to keep them cooler and that was released into the Pacific and that radiated water made it all the way to California where radiation has been found on the kelp. Can't hide that.

There is talk that the cores have melted through containment and are burning into the ground. They would sure be hiding that info.

And what about all the Spent Fuel Pools - SPF. Are they not telling us about all those tons and tons of 'Must Keep Cool" pools that appear to have overheated and blew up destroying the buildings? Yep. They have said little too nothing about those SFPs.

I have a feeling that if they told the truth everyone here -- save a few -- would be cussing up a storm over the damage done. Can't have that. Wouldn't be acceptable, eh?

[madokie]

8. "save for a few"

man those few are sure vocal too. A while back I decided I wasn't going to pay anymore attention to them so I started using the ignore function. I'm up to 4 or 5 now and most of the "save for a few" are gone as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather not know something as to know a lie, simple as that.

[RobertEarl]

9. I may have to do that

I get rather upset when lies are told. Mistakes, I can handle, lies I can not.

[madokie]

10. Right on