TEPCO press release on the #4 reactor (earlier today)

At approximately 6:00am, a loud explosion was heard from within the
power station. Afterwards, it was confirmed that the 4th floor rooftop
area of the Unit 4 Nuclear Reactor Building had sustained damage.

After usage, fuel is stored in a pool designated for spent fuel.

Plant conditions as well as potential outside radiation effects are
currently under investigation.

TEPCO, along with other involved organizations, is doing its best to
contain the situation. Simultaneously, the surrounding environment is
being kept under constant surveillance.

Ok, where's the suppression pool? I thought the suppression pool was that ring.

Ok yeah.
Containment building - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In a BWR, the containment strategy is a bit different. A BWR's containment consists of a drywell where the reactor and associated cooling equipment is located and a wetwell. The drywell is much smaller than a PWR containment and plays a larger role. During the theoretical leakage design basis accident the reactor coolant flashes to steam in the drywell, pressurizing it rapidly. Vent pipes or tubes from the drywell direct the steam below the water level maintained in the wetwell (also known as a torus or suppression pool), condensing the steam, limiting the pressure ultimately reached.

I heard on NHK last night that #4 doesn't have a containment building since it only had spent rods or something.

One thing is for sure, they need to come up with a better naming/numbering scheme for plants/reactors.

The outside "containment" shells. The ones that have huge holes and have blown up, dont do ****. They are there as a roof. Its the inside containment units anyone needs to worry about. So the fact that they are missing is kind of whatever.

From what I gather, the spent fuel pool (in reactor #4) is something like this:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/...359863776f.jpg

http://www.macalester.edu/environmen...-fuel-pool.jpg

That would be the only way that 'dropping water from helicopters' would make sense.

Would be nice if we got some real info on the reactors. "Damage to containment vessel" still makes you guess what was actually damaged. It's more complex than some room that's leaking.

**** man that's what the Chinese swimmers practice in.

Containment has already been breached.

Yes, I know the fire is out now.

Every page I've read in this thread I see Tappy spewing out doom and gloom. Get ****ed ******.

The fire in #4 was put out 2 hours after it started, iirc.

The type or radioactive material being released has a half life of miliseconds. Its the same thing that happend at 3 mile island. For the past 30 years they have been doing tests at and around 3 mile island and have found no detrimental effects.

Conclusion: You have no idea wtf you're talking about.

Posting verbatim reports from the IAEA is spreading doom and gloom?

:lol:

:pignored:

some pics
 

Wow.
Japan tsunami and earthquake: Haunting images as 450 Britons feared missing | Mail Online
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...89_964x641.jpg

I'd swear that was a photoshop if I didn't know better

Boat! Get down off that house, you don't belong up there, you're a boat. Get back in the water.

http://i52.tinypic.com/1zczsr6.jpg

Good thing they will be back to normal yesterday.

also, you think the people who own that building get to keep the boat?

not trying to be insensitive but I mean how the **** are they gonna get it off of there?

Crazy how water can push an entire house underneath a boat.

boats thinking they are cars over there

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...67_964x527.jpg