Fukushima Reactor 3 Explosion, Reactor 2 Core Melt, Possibly Because TEPCO Couldn't Break the Rules

[PamW]

7. WRONG!!

Last edited Sun Oct 7, 2012, 05:31 PM - Edit history (1)

As a physicist, I'd like to chime in with my 2 cents.

FBaggins is correct. The hydrogen comes from the fuel overheating. If you can reduce pressure, then you can get more cooling water into the core, and that mitigates the overheating, and hence reduces hydrogen production, and the threat of its explosion.

Physics is often counter-intuitive for those who have not specifically studied the field. Additionally, a reactor is a couple-physics problem with multiple feedbacks. Often the correct solution is to do something that is counter-intuitive unless you really understand the physics.

However, most certainly the operators, who are in the best position to mitigate the negative effects; are best served if their instrumentation works to tell them what is going on; and their commands to the system to mitigate negative effects are carried out.

Both of those require electricity. Electricity to run the instrumentation which tells the operators what is happening.

Additionally, when the operators want to take an action to mitigate the negative effects, they need electricity to operate the motors that open or close the valves or what ever the operators need to do.

You can't argue that depriving the operators of the information they need, or the ability to affect the plant systems, is a good thing. It was certainly bad to prevent the operators from getting the battery power they needed.

If an airliner developed trouble in mid-flight, would you ever argue that you should just pull the plug on all the flight instruments and cut the cables from the flight deck? The flight crew can potentially remedy a problem completely, or at least mitigate the effects. We don't argue that if something goes wrong, actions by the flight crew won't forestall the inevitable. Give the crew a chance to save the plane. Likewise, nuclear reactor operators should be given the same chance.

In the USA, we often have similar problems when we ignore what our scientists and engineers tell us is the proper course of action, in favor of the opinions of politicians, activists, lawyers, and bureaucrats.

PamW