Originally posted by Great Big SteesI hope his family is ok.
We have a son in Tokyo, although he lives outside it, and spoke to him this a.m. He's been there for 10 years and says that it's like a war zone. He's not sure how he'll get home and his wife (who's Japanese) teaches outside Tokyo and she too is unsure if she'll be able to get home. The pictures on the news of the Tsunami around Densai (sp) are frightening.
Originally posted by jimslyp69I can write an essay on this, but the short answer is "Yes!!!"...take my word for it as someone whose career is in EPCM...
That's unbelievable. I thought they built those things to withstand worse case scenarios. This whole thing is just going from terrible to worse.
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Originally posted by Iere manI heard they were pumping sea water in as a last resort to try to prevent meltdown.
I can write an essay on this, but the short answer is "Yes!!!"...take my word for it as someone whose career is in EPCM...
I would assume if so the reactors would have to be completely rebuilt afterwards even if a meltdown is avoided. Seawater is a nasty liquid for a system depending on pure water, pumping it through piping at several thousand degrees, instant steam of course but also corrosive byproducts of the liquid being sea water.
They did not design the systems to withstand 9 level earthquakes. I think maybe design was for 8 level.
The whole coast of Japan was moved 8 feet, over 2 meters.
Originally posted by ChessPraxisIt does slow down greatly once it reaches shallower water and the bottom drag transfers the energy upward.
What amazes me is the speed of a tsunami, I have heard it can reach 500 MPH.
It is hard to imagine a wave travelling at that speed, and the force of such a wall of water to me is unimaginable.
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Originally posted by sonhouseIt has been confirmed just that not just the coast, but the whole islands have been moved 2.4m.
I heard they were pumping sea water in as a last resort to try to prevent meltdown.
I would assume if so the reactors would have to be completely rebuilt afterwards even if a meltdown is avoided. Seawater is a nasty liquid for a system depending on pure water, pumping it through piping at several thousand degrees, instant steam of course but also corrosive ...[text shortened]... hink maybe design was for 8 level.
The whole coast of Japan was moved 8 feet, over 2 meters.
Unbelievable!
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/03/post-earthquake-images-of-japan.html
What I don't understand is that the reactors are said to have been tested to magnitude 7.8/9. In the knowledge that the massive tsunami which hit in 2004, killing over 250,000 people from Indonesia, to Thailand, to Sri Lanka, and ignoring the carnage caused by such an earthquake, why would Nuclear reactors be tested to a lower level magnitude earthquake than The Japanese know has been experienced; with the Japanese saying such a magnitude of 8.5 was negligible? It doesn't wash!
-m.
Originally posted by mikelomNo it doesn't make sense to me either. I thought they would have tried to make it fail safe. Back ups, double back ups and treble double plans in case any of the emergency cooling gear failed. It's not like they've never had an earthquake over there before and ones of this scale are to be expected every x number of years. I'm guessing that they will start building them to more stringent standards now, but the gate has been closed too late once again. It's all down to money I think. They probably offset the likely hood of something like this happening and cost of safety spec against cost of the clean up, should it all go tits up.
It has been confirmed just that not just the coast, but the whole islands have been moved 2.4m.
Unbelievable!
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2011/03/post-earthquake-images-of-japan.html
What I don't understand is that the reactors are said to have been tested to magnitude 7.8/9. In the knowledge that the massive tsunami which hit in 2004, kill ...[text shortened]... nced; with the Japanese saying such a magnitude of 8.5 was negligible? It doesn't wash!
-m.
Originally posted by jimslyp69I wonder if all new Skyscrapers, Nuclear reactors, Rocket launchers and so forth will now be tested to a magnitude of 9.8 - with the assumption that anything larger is high and mightily impossible? And then in 15 years we have a magnitude 10.7 earthquake? I wonder? I simply wonder... 🙁
No it doesn't make sense to me either. I thought they would have tried to make it fail safe. Back ups, double back ups and treble double plans in case any of the emergency cooling gear failed. It's not like they've never had an earthquake over there before and ones of this scale are to be expected every x number of years. I'm guessing that they will start ...[text shortened]... s happening and cost of safety spec against cost of the clean up, should it all go tits up.
-m.