pray for no earthquakes in Japan

[Nage Waza]

Originally Posted by photon

Not really no, even in this case the threat seems to be being overstated, which is typical of nuclear paranoia. There's risk of course (as with any production of energy, see the thousands that die worldwide due to coal, or stuff like the Gulf disaster), but one plant going through a worst case scenario isn't going to destroy the world no.

Zirconium doesn't even burn. The risk with Zirconium is at high temperatures it reacts with steam to produce Hydrogen gas, which is what burns/explodes.

The risk would be if there's no cooling that the existing rods would overheat and eventually melt together to reach criticality, but usually rods are stored far enough apart to mitigate this, and the usual stuff to slow down the neutrons to allow for criticality in a reactor isn't there either (zirconium is used because it lets the neutrons go rather than slowing them). Still a serious risk, but tons of spent fuel rods are stored around the world safely, so it's something that can be managed.
Or build new cooling ponds.

Whatever you say, PHOTON.

[photon]

Different kind of radiation

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Nm

[Caged Great]

Basically even if the worst case scenario was to happen, in Canada, all you would need to do is take some iodine tablets, and don't go out when it's raining.

It's not a world is coming to an end situation over here anyway.

In Japan/asia though, they are f'd

[JimmytheT]

Originally Posted by photon

Different kind of radiation

actually gamma rays are photons just like radio, micro, infrared, visble etc. just at a much much much higher frequency.

[photon]

Originally Posted by JimmytheT

actually gamma rays are photons just like radio, micro, infrared, visble etc. just at a much much much higher frequency.

True, I was thinking more of alpha and beta decay, but gamma rays are produced too.

[BerubeHater]

Photon, I am curious what your background is with this kind of stuff? It seems you are pretty knowledgable in this area.

I would have thought this story would have been bigger news than it is right now, but might not be because of some of the things you have mentioned.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Basically even if the worst case scenario was to happen, in Canada, all you would need to do is take some iodine tablets, and don't go out when it's raining.

It's not a world is coming to an end situation over here anyway.

In Japan/asia though, they are f'd

That only works for one organ against one kind of radiation.

[Caged Great]

And if I recall correctly, that'd be the only one that would be possible to cross over due to weight but I might be mistaken

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Nuclear power is this dangerous because the Japanese reactors were built in the early days of atomic energy and should have been decommissioned 40 years ago. Modern technology is significantly safer and has many more fail-safes.

It will take decades and many billions of dollars to decommission a plant. During that time, the plant will not generate electricity but will turn into a bottomless, radioactive money pit. While smaller reactors have been decommissioned, no one has yet fully decommissioned a large commercial reactor. The strategy has been to renew the licenses when they expire. The easy way out. For a time. And even after reactors are decommissioned, they remain in the landscape as contaminated concrete hulks. Nuclear power is expensive even if only the first part of its lifecycle—construction and power generation—are included. No power company can afford at current electricity rates to decommission its reactors. So the plan is to hand these expenses to the next generation.
http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed...nt-imagination

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by freedogger

While smaller reactors have been decommissioned, no one has yet fully decommissioned a large commercial reactor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_..._Power_Station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Y...ar_Power_Plant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...ar_Power_Plant

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by freedogger

http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed...nt-imagination

wait for it...

Japanese still reminisce about the bubble that blew up in 1989 when the Nikkei almost hit 40,000 and when the sky-high prices of real estate could only go up further. The slide down to reality was brutal, and a lot of people lost their shirts. But there has been one investment that has worked out phenomenally well for the otherwise hapless Japanese investor: Gold. Until now. Read.... The Japanese Are Dumping Their Gold.

and there you go the reason for said blog to exist... Seriously dude do you have no critical thinking skills or do you just blindly follow every blog you read on the internet?

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by BerubeHater

Photon, I am curious what your background is with this kind of stuff? It seems you are pretty knowledgable in this area.

I would have thought this story would have been bigger news than it is right now, but might not be because of some of the things you have mentioned.

He's Steven Hawking's lab partner.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

And if I recall correctly, that'd be the only one that would be possible to cross over due to weight but I might be mistaken

Depends what you recall, but there were several types that registered spikes in April 11 in many different places in North America.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Dan02

wait for it...



and there you go the reason for said blog to exist... Seriously dude do you have no critical thinking skills or do you just blindly follow every blog you read on the internet?

Which commercial reactor has been decommissioned then?

Try this, find me a site that isn't trying to sell something.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by freedogger

Which commercial reactor has been decommissioned then?

Try this, find me a site that isn't trying to sell something.

see post above that...

Little different to have a site like CP with advertisements on it then to be linking to a blog post which solely exists so you will go read his report on gold don't ya think?

[BerubeHater]

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteEbola

He's Steven Hawking's lab partner.

Oh, I thought Stephen Hawking's lab partner is his wheelchair.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Dan02

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee_..._Power_Station
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine_Y...ar_Power_Plant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connect...ar_Power_Plant

185 megawatts on the first one, you are joking right?

From the second link:
"As of 2010, questions remain about the final disposal of the plant's nuclear waste, following the scrapping of the planned national depository."

The last one was pretty small too...

[Gundo]

Originally Posted by Puxlut

The last time I missed my period, I wound up gaining 70 pounds and getting really sick.

Im no expert but I think your pregnant..... or your on vacation in Texas eating shabby Mexican and BBQ.

[freedogger]

Originally Posted by Dan02

see post above that...

Little different to have a site like CP with advertisements on it then to be linking to a blog post which solely exists so you will go read his report on gold don't ya think?

Do you really dispute the main point of the article? That nuclear power is too expensive when you consider the full life of it. Why is the government the only entity that can insure these things? The only way nuclear power exists is because taxpayers subsidize it on so many levels.

Anyway, its nice to see at least the Japanese and Germans are waking up to this and out right rejecting it.