Fresh close-up video of Fukushima destroyed reactor, firefighters at plant

March 23rd, 2011 | Environment | | Leave a comment

From RT: Tokyo’s utility company said on Wednesday that black smoke has been seen emerging from Unit 3 of the crippled nuclear plant in northeastern Japan, prompting a new evacuation of the complex. Officials with Tokyo Electric Power Co. said on Wednesday that workers from the entire Fukushima Dai-ichi plant have been temporarily evacuated. Operators of the power station have been desperately trying to cool the reactors and spent fuel pools at the plant after it was damaged by this month’s tsunami, which knocked out power to the cooling systems.

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Fission Criticality In Cooling Ponds Threaten Explosion At Fukushima

March 14th, 2011 | Natural Resources News Service | | One comment
Photo: DigitalGlobe’s Natural Color Satellite Image
Photo: DigitalGlobe’s Natural Color Satellite Image

The threat of a fission explosion at the Fukushima power facility emerged today when the roof of the number three reactor exploded and fears that a spent fuel pool, located over the reactor, has been compromised.  The pool,  designed to allow reactor fuel to cool off for several years, was constructed on top of the Fukushima reactors instead of underground. As of 2010, there were 3450 fuel assemblies in the pool at the number three reactor. The destruction of the number three reactor building has experts concerned about whether the spent fuel storage pool, which sits just below the roof, could have survived intact the hydrogen explosion. The explosion was much more severe than Saturday’s blast at the number one reactor.

Continue reading Fission Criticality In Cooling Ponds Threaten Explosion At Fukushima