Murphy Strikes

My friend Frank in a comment at Worst Case Scenario, reminded me of something I had been saying implicitly and not explicitly when it comes to the nuclear accident at Fukushima.

…the fact that ever changing events are driving the clean-up effort not allowing any kind of containment plan to emerge as of now, this and Murphy’s Law don’t paint a pretty picture going forward.

I told Frank, “…thanks for noting that Murphy is our silent partner in this venture.”
Well friends and neighbors, Murphy has struck.

NHK tv notes that a giant crane fell over and probably crushed spent fuel rods at in Fukushima reactor number 3, which contain a plutonium-uranium mix.

And of course Murphy will strike again.
What I’m seeing generally in places I frequent on the ‘net is, “so far not so bad”, which is true.
What I’m looking at personally is, “what direction are things going?” And from that point of view along with fairly good knowledge of the technology I’m not optimistic.
I’m a big fan of worst case scenarios. They help you make the best plan. In my estimation the Japanese have been operating with a “best case” bias. Putting them continuously behind the curve.
Cross Posted at Power and Control


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

5 responses to “Murphy Strikes”

  1. rhhardin Avatar

    In Japan the crane is a symbol of peace, longevity and fortune.

  2. Alan Kellogg Avatar

    The difference between the Scots and the Japanese is this; only Americans have ever gotten the Japanese to see reason.

  3. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    M. Simon, Murphy strikes again.
    The article linked below is about the core in Reactor 2 melting through the containment vessel.
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/29/japan-lost-race-save-nuclear-reactor

  4. Frank Avatar
    Frank

    This is from Frank Munger’s “Atomic City Underground” site 2 weeks ago, interviewing Dr. Michael Allen:
    If workers are unable to get additional cooling water into the reactor vessel, the molten fuel core will collapse into the water in bottom of the vessel. Eventually the heat from the decaying fuel would boil away the water that’s left, leaving the core sitting on the vessel’s lower head made of steel.
    Should that happen, “It’ll melt through it like butter,” Allen said.
    That, in turn, would cause a “high-pressure melt injection” into the water-filled concrete cavity below the reactor. Because the concrete would likely be unheated, the reaction created by the sudden injection of the reactor’s ultra-hot content would be immense, he said.
    “It’ll be like somebody dropped a bomb, and ther’ll be a big cloud of very, very radioactive material above the ground,” Allen said, noting that it would contain uranium and plutonium, as well as the fission products.
    Is this where #2 is headed? I hope not.

  5. M. Simon Avatar

    Alan,
    Funny that.
    Frank,
    I wrote up the Guardian bit before I saw your comment.
    http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/2011/03/core_on_the_flo.html
    I’m not optimistic.