Merged 8.8 quake in Sendai, Japan

[Skeptic Ginger]

Death is part of the system, and a good job too. Otherwise things would get pretty crowded pretty quick.

If you would prefer your death not to be earthquake related, don't live in an earthquake zone.

Not to sidetrack this discussion, but you do realize the big giant flaw in your thinking, right? Wouldn't that mean you are describing heaven as uncomfortably crowded?

 

[dudalb]

Death is part of the system, and a good job too. Otherwise things would get pretty crowded pretty quick.

If you would prefer your death not to be earthquake related, don't live in an earthquake zone.

ANd Plumjam confirms his reputation at JREF.

 

[MG1962]

Not to sidetrack this discussion, but you do realize the big giant flaw in your thinking, right? Wouldn't that mean you are describing heaven as uncomfortably crowded?

asoul doesn't really take up that much space

 

[blobru]

Things that don't exist tend not to.


Anyway, getting sidetracked from the quake. I have a couple of friends in that area. And friend or not, it's a worrying time for everyone.

 

[William Parcher]

Amazing collection of large high-resolution photographs of the disaster.

Evacuated employees are pictured near toppled tanks a brewery in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan March 11, 2011

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Amongst all this tragedy, it's uplifting to realise that due to Japan's tsunami detection technology a far more devastating disaster has been averted.

ETA: Don't mind Plumjam. Great pith is all he knows, and when he tries to comment on serious issues he seems unable.

I, for one, like Plumjam's pith. I also enjoy asking him challenging questions.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

asoul doesn't really take up that much space

Then Plumjam's god could have made people tiny and no one would ever have to die.

 

[Travis]

Man that's a lot of spilled beer. Bet that place is going to smell rank for years.

 

[DGM]

Man that's a lot of spilled beer. Bet that place is going to smell rank for years.

I think we need to deploy a team (I volunteer) to empty the remaining tanks.

 

[manofthesea]

Don't worry. They're going to soak it all up and bottle it for western consumption.

 

[jayh]

The Bridge over the River Kwai would've survived the tsunami. Good old-fashioned British workmanship.

Never owned a British car, have you?

 

[jayh]

I have a feeling this is going to play out worse than the Kobe disaster as far as the rescue/recovery is concerned.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/117854594.html

It will be worse. You have all the problems of an earthquake compounded by the tsunami ... by comparison Katrina was a walk in the park.

 

[Hindmost]

The worse could be yet to come. If one of those reactors has a meltdown, it would be devastating not just for Japan, but for all of East Asia.

I believe modern reactors are designed to contain a meltdown. What are the effects if it doesn't? Will we have giant rabbits?

Modern reactors are not supposed to have meltdowns if the plant works as it should...however, at TMI the fuel was damaged due to lack of cooling and ended up crumpled mess at the bottom of the reactor vessel. However, it proved that the designs are very conservative and that a "meltdown"--where the fuel melts through the vessel--does not occur. It is possible that this is occuring here if the reports of the diesel generators failing occured and they couldn't get power to safety related pumps.

With the containment intact, the problem won't be "worse" than TMI...and certainly won't be a problem for east asia.

glenn

 

[manofthesea]

On a technological scale they're as advanced as Starfleet Command.
Socially, Yemen. They'll need to save themselves.

 

[zooterkin]

On a technological scale they're as advanced as Starfleet Command.
Socially, Yemen. They'll need to save themselves.

What on earth are you talking about?

 

[23_Tauri]

Hey zooterkin, when's the tsunami going to hit our coastline? Should I go down to the beach and check it out? Will it be more than millimetres? Will the sea go out further or anything?

 

[blobru]

On a technological scale they're as advanced as Starfleet Command.
Socially, Yemen. They'll need to save themselves.

Who... Japanese sasquatch?

 

[Hindmost]

There's virtually nothing else at a nuclear plant that can cause a large explosion.

There aren't large stockpiles of flammable materials like at fossil fuel plants and you just... simply... can't... have a nuclear explosion at a nuclear power plant.

The space between atoms of fissile material in reactor fuel is too great to allow the rapid reaction necessary for a nuclear explosion.

If the fuel elements are melting then a large amount of hydrogen would be produced.

If it was a containment building that exploded, could not have been built to the same standards as the PWR containment.



Yes, the most explosive it would be is equivalent to a damp squib.

There is a possibility that the main transformers have blown up...However, the explosion does seem a big too big for that and I would expect darker smoke. Other than that, there is diesel fuel requried to run the diesels for about 7 days--but diesel fires wouldn't look like the video.

If there was a steam explosion in containment, there would be a bunch more radition if the containment failed--but if cesium and iodine are being detected offsite, some fuel failure has likely occured. It is extremely unlikely that a steam explosion occured because the plants were scrammed and the heat production just isn't enough to cause that type of transient. Plants in the US have hydrogen recombiners now to take care of hydrogen production.

I think they are trying to cool containment with fire protection water and then releasing steam occasionally...try and cool the entire containment by flooding it. If the diesels hadn't failed, it may not have been a big problem.

glenn

 

[manofthesea]

I'll type slower. Japan has no concern for 'the individual'.

 

[LibraryLady]

What does that have to do with this thread, even if it is true?