Japan Nuclear Agency: Fukushima Daiichi No. 3 Reactor Fuel Rods Exposed (WSJ update)

[jpak]

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110313-702090.html

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Readings from pressure and radiation monitors are conflicting with data showing that nuclear fuel rods are exposed at the Fukushima Daichi Nuclear Power Plant's No. 1 and No. 3 reactors, as the there may be problems with the water-level gauges, an official at the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said Sunday.

The official also said that Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501.TO), the operator of the plant, has been able to release pressure in reactor No. 3 but that he's concerned that its fuel rods may be damaged. There are no major problems with reactor No. 2, he said.

Another official said that he believes that sea water is continuing to be pumped into the core of reactor No. 1 and its surrounding reactor vessel. Despite seawater being pumped in, the water gauges show the water level falling from between a minus between 150 centimeters and minus 200cm from the top of the fuel rods in reactor No. 3 at 0400 GMT to between minus 180cm and minus 220cm at 1055 GMT and unchanged at minus 170cm for reactor No. 1, he said.

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[NMDemDist2]

1. so there's a big water leak somewhere ?? if they're pumping more in

but the levels keep dropping then there's a leak that's draining all that radioactive water into the ground somewhere? or out to sea??

i'm confused.....

[Confusious]

9. If you're pumping water in and get the same amount out

I would say the gauges are screwed.

[blunorsk]

10. Gauge readings

it wouldn't seem that water could manage to stay liquid in there very long... Could be such violent boiling that tops of rods are surrounded by gas...?

[Confusious]

11. Water comes in the bottom

Goes out the top. If there was gas, you would get gas out.

[aquart]

2. Okay. Exposed fuel rods means.....what?

[Wilms]

3. Trouble. n/t

[NoTimeToulouse]

8. Best and worst answer.

[godai]

4. They overheat and melt, go out of control.

There's been a 3 Mile Island type partial meltdown. They hope to stop the damage there.

[jpak]

5. They can't be cooled and are in danger of cladding failure and/or melting

hopefully the gauges are not functioning properly and the core is covered

[FedUpWithIt All]

6. From a recent bbc news feed.

#
2011: A former adviser on radiation to the UK government, Dr Christopher Busby, has told the BBC the situation at the nuclear plants is extremely serious. "Particularly concerning is the number three reactor which I understand is in trouble now, because... it runs on a different sort of fuel; it doesn't run on uranium, it runs on a mixed uranium plutonium fuel, and plutonium is an extremely serious hazard so if this stuff comes out then it's going to make what's happened so far, in terms of the tsunami damage, look a little bit like an entrée to the real course."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[FedUpWithIt All]

7. They followed that with this...

#
2042: Professor Patrick Regan, radiation and environmental protection expert from Surrey University, has told the BBC that it appears none of the secure vessels holding radioactive material at the reactors in Japan has broken, and "it looks like the worst is over".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Technically all reactors run this fuel.

Plutonium is a byproduct of this type of reactor. That's one reason they were developed, to get weapons grade plutonium on a mass scale.

As normal fuel rods age, they become what was intentionally put in Reactor 3.