Cooling system stops at No.5 reactor in Fukushima

[MNeagle]

Cooling system stops at No.5 reactor in Fukushima

English.news.cn 2011-05-29 10:14:04


TOKYO, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Cooling system at a reactor of the crippled Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant stopped from Saturday, the plant's operator said Sunday.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said the pumps to cool the nuclear reactor and fuel pool have stopped at the No. 5 unit, and the operator is now working to switch to backup pumps to restore the cooling system.

When a worker at the plant became aware of the problem at 9 p.m. Saturday, the temperature of the reactor stood at 68 degrees Celsius and that of the fuel pool at 41 degrees Celsius.

They had risen to 87 degrees Celsius and 44 degrees Celsius, respectively, by the time TEPCO began work to restore operations shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, it said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2011-05/29/c_13899496.htm

[Neuro]

Errhhh.... They became aware of the problem at 9 PM Saturday, and they started work on fixing it next day at 8 AM? Didn't it become apparent to these guys a couple of months ago, what can happen if a reactor is without cooling system, for a short time? Astonishing!

[gunDriller]

Errhhh.... They became aware of the problem at 9 PM Saturday, and they started work on fixing it next day at 8 AM? Didn't it become apparent to these guys a couple of months ago, what can happen if a reactor is without cooling system, for a short time? Astonishing!


i would say it's astonishingly bad management.

if i was an engineer and it was Saturday 9 PM - and i'd been working 70 to 100 hour weeks for 2 months, i would most likely not come in to work till Monday.

partially because, you're doing the project a favor by not doing work in an extremely over-extended condition.


where i find fault is with the management. they know additional breakdowns can happen at any time, it's their job to have multiple crews working, with overlapping schedules so they can discuss critical information.

[Neuro]

Well I would certainly not blame the lowly engineers for any of the mess at Fukushima. However a large proportion of management and government officials should have been sent to the gallows by now. They are guilty of premeditated mass murder and treason...

[sirgonzo420]

What difference do cooling systems make when you have EMPTY fuel pools?

[Dogman]

What difference do cooling systems make when you have EMPTY fuel pools?


Think the reactor core and what ever material that is still in it.

[gunDriller]

Well I would certainly not blame the lowly engineers for any of the mess at Fukushima. However a large proportion of management and government officials should have been sent to the gallows by now. They are guilty of premeditated mass murder and treason...


under the circumstances, i think it's appropriate to give all those TEPCO execs and nuclear regulators them one of the hardcore clean-up jobs that involves fatal exposure to radiation.

that's one of the things about most high-level execs & some nuclear regulators, they think they're Chosen People and it's the job of the lowly techs & engineers to sweat the fatal radiation.

obviously those TEPCO execs could use a dose of nuclear reality. like a microgram of plutonium embedded in their lungs. considering how much sh!t they put into the atmosphere, that seems downright merciful.