I vote lead bomb.

interesting fact sheet:
http://resources.nei.org/documents/j..._Key_Facts.pdf

Fact Sheet
Used Nuclear Fuel Storage at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
(Last updated 3/15/11)
Key Facts

• Used nuclear fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi plant is stored in seven pools (one at each of the six reactors, plus a shared pool) and in a dry container storage facility (containing nine casks).
  
• Sixty percent of the used fuel on site is stored in the shared pool, in a building separated from the reactor buildings; 34 percent of the used fuel is distributed between the six reactor fuel storage pools, and the remaining six percent is stored in the nine dry storage containers. There are no safety concerns regarding the used fuel in dry storage at Fukushima Daiichi.
  
• Used fuel pools are robust concrete and steel structures designed to protect the fuel from even the most severe events. Pools are designed with systems to maintain the temperature and water levels sufficient to provide cooling and radiation shielding.
  
• The water level in a used fuel pool typically is 16 feet or more above the top of the fuel assemblies.
  
• The used fuel pools at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors are located at the top of the reactor buildings for ease of handling during refueling operations.
  
• The used fuel pools are designed so that the water in the pool cannot drain down as a result of damage to the piping or cooling systems. The pools do not have drains in the sides or the floor of the pool structure. The only way to rapidly drain down the pool is if there is structural damage to the walls or the floor.

What Could Happen During an Accident?

• The systems that cool and maintain water levels in the pools are designed to withstand severe events. If these systems are unable to function, the heat generated by the used fuel would result in a slow increase in the temperature of the spent fuel pool water. The operating temperature of the pools is typically around 40 degrees C or 100 degrees F (the boiling point for water is 100 C or 212 F). This slow increase in temperature would result in an increased evaporation rate. Rapid evaporation of the water will not occur.
  
• Exact evaporation rates would depend on the amount of used fuel in the pool and how long it has cooled. The rate at which the pool water level would decrease (due to evaporation or mild boiling) in the absence of cooling system function would not be expected to lower water levels by more than a few percent per day. Given that there is approximately 16 feet or more of water above the used fuel assemblies, operators would have ample time (days to weeks) to find another way to add water to the pools before the fuel would become exposed. For example, water could easily be added using a fire hose.
  
• If the water level decreases below the top of the fuel assembly, oxidation of the zirconium cladding could occur. This oxidation could result in some hydrogen generation. However, only the fuel assemblies with the least cooling time (on the order of weeks after discharge from the reactor) would be susceptible to this oxidation. The temperature of the fuel assemblies decreases exponentially with cooling time. The rate of hydrogen generation depends on the temperature of the fuel assembly, with hotter temperatures leading to higher gas generation rates. However, the temperature of the cladding must rise to approximately 1,000 C before significant hydrogen generation rate occurs. This is extremely unlikely to occur after as little as 120 days (16 weeks) of cooling. As a reference, the melting point of zirconium is approximately 1,800 degrees C.
  
• Even if the water level in the pools was to decrease sufficiently so that the fuel were exposed to air, the same level of overheating that can occur in a reactor accident would not occur in the used fuel pool because the used fuel assemblies in the pool are cooler than in the reactor. It is highly unlikely that used fuel temperatures could reach the point where melting could occur, although some damage to the cladding cannot be ruled out. The likelihood of cladding damage, as with hydrogen generation, decreases substantially with temperature and cooling time.
  
• There has been some speculation that, if the used fuel pool were completely drained, the zirconium cladding might ignite and a “zirconium fire” might occur. Studies performed by the Department of Energy indicate that is virtually impossible to ignite zirconium tubing.
  
• At the surface of the used fuel pool, the gamma dose rate from radiation emanating off the used f uel assemblies is typically less than 2 millirem per hour. If the water level decreases, gamma radiation levels would increase substantially. This increase would be noticed at the radiation monitors near the reactor buildings.

so... any updates on this?

Whoops!

*The only way to rapidly drain down the pool is if there is structural damage to the walls or the floor.

Here's what BBC is saying:

More on the power line being laid to the Fukushima Daiichi plant to help restore the reactor cooling systems: Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) spokesman Naoki Tsunoda has said it is almost complete, and that engineers plan to test it "as soon as possible", according to the Associated Press. Reviving the electric-powered pumps might allow the engineers to finaly cool the overheated reactors and spent fuel storage ponds.

So, its time to start replacing all these reactors with Thorium Molten Salt reactors.

Molten salt reactor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But yeah, you can't make nuclear weapons with these so the US etc won't be interested.

yep...

Cause of the quake?

Jews

I lost my appetite.

Hmm

*Japan's foreign ministry has asked foreign diplomats and government officials to remain calm and "accurately convey information provided by Japanese authorities concerning the plant", according to NHK television.


*US officials have concluded that the Japanese warnings have been insufficient, and that, deliberately or not, they have understated the potential threat of what is taking place inside the nuclear facility, according to the New York Times.

I been watching TV about that **** that happened in Japan.

The earthquake, the tsunami, the vast destruction.

TW cable, channel 701.

All tv feeds from Japan.
All in Japanese

Damn, regular peeps. answering, asking,

but one thing that I find curious.......
They all seem calm, composed
Yeah they seem very concerned, teary eyed... but no ranting.

They aren't yelling and screaming :soapbox: .... Whar's D Govmint?

Man, the devastation is immense!
I wonder if the Yakusa is going to step up and assist in public relief
like the last time.


What did they say while helping?

" We do what we do. This is our country, our people."

Something like that.

. Well just my thoughts on this ****.

get out of thread.

There are no islands in the north pacific, between midway and alaska

Radiation could reach the west coast 100% undetected.

I hope you are talking to the fat black chick.

undetected radiation is the worst radiation

Eat me Beeyatch !

You are sounding like orbitroll.

No Satellites either from the way you look at things. Stupidity is a crime, and you should be hung for your level of stupidity.

Boats, planes, buoys, and weather balloons are not allowed to be there as well.

Wat

i've tried talking about that before kliint

noone cares about phase 4 reactors

All of them equipped with remote radiation detection equipment ready to deploy at a momments notice

Let's look for the neon green cloud of radiation with our weather satelites

Okay folks, it is now official

Meltdown is imminent

Japan Fears Nuclear Meltdown - ABC News

$ vs Yen is down to 77ish

Yeah moments notice. I think we have had more then a moments notice.

Who cares if the **** melts down? As long as its contained the radiation it gives off disappears almost instantly. Fire/Debris/not contained = bad.

They're going to have to build a sarcophagus (sp?)

The spent fuel pools are not contained.

I'm sure they could think of something, there are just no land assets in that area, if we do nothing there is no warning.

I was under the impression it's almost impossible for spent rods to melt down.

We have coverage in that area if we need it.

Are we far off from reading a headline the military/coast guard have started to drop buoys in the pacific?

so are world governments are helpless to do anything? is it basically just wait, pray, and see what happens at this point?

and if its in the jet stream none of that will detected ****

I have no clue how large ammounts of radiation behaves in the atmosphere

Possible. Question is do we need to?

Thats what weather balloons are far. Sheesh.

Radiation is not carried by the wind. Particles that give it off are.

If they aren't covered by water, they can melt down.

Hence the entire reason why the Japs tried to use a helicopter to pour water on the building.

They are now trying to use a police water cannon as well.

How much you wanna bet robotics research is increased greatly after this?