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Skyshine

ilene's picture




 

Skyshine

Here's the newest video by nuclear expert, Arnie Gundersen.  For previous videos, and regular updates, visit Arnie's site: Fairewinds Associates, Inc. 

In the video below, Arnie shows and discusses the problem with the fuel rack in reactor building 4 being exposed to air. You can see in the video, the "boxes," the at top of nuclear fuel racks. Those are supposed to be under 30 feet of water. But they are not, they are in air. So at least the top of the nuclear fuel is exposed to air, perhaps more. The water that is being sprayed into the pool is creating steam, but not filling the pool.

Water is for the purposes of both cooling and shielding. The lack of water means the nuclear fuel is unshielded. Its gamma rays are rising into the sky and bouncing off air molecules through a phenomenon called "skyshine." (That sounds prettier than it is - "scattered radiation of a primary gamma radiation source generated by aerial dispersion.") The gamma rays rain back on the site as background radiation, which is much higher than normal, making work on the refueling pool potentially lethal. In addition, the nuclear fuel is extremely hot and the plutonium inside can become volatile. The fact that the nuclear fuel pool doesn't have water means there might be a clean path for the heavy elements to escape from the building. Arnie would recommend increasing the evacuation zone. - Ilene 

Click here for the video > 

New Images Reveal Nuclear Fuel Rack Exposed to Air

By Arnie Gundersen at Fairewinds Associates, Inc.

Fairewinds Chief Engineer, Arnie Gundersen, analyzes new video from the Fukushima Daiichi Plant. Gundersen determines that the fuel rack in reactor building 4 is exposed to air. Original Ustream Video: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13684184 

 

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Thu, 07/14/2011 - 02:37 | 1455174 aoter
aoter's picture

Look at this map, and you'll understand the problem. The whole idea of "safe distance" is useless in a situation like this. 70-685 exam Instead, there are going to be areas that are safe, areas that are hazardous, and areas that are flat out toxic. And it's going to be more or less random, depending on what comes out when, 70-663 exam and which way the wind is blowing at the time. As you can see from the map of the Chernobyl region, 70-536 exam there are places that are twenty miles away that are relatively safe, and places 150 miles away that are as hot as Pripyat. It's all random.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 21:05 | 1127128 Bagbalm
Bagbalm's picture

Why is the sky gamma Daddy?

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 21:16 | 1127137 TheMerryPrankster
TheMerryPrankster's picture

What were the skies like when you were young?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za6d_iHCEgI&feature=related

 

or if you were in Watford:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__QqQq9XBsQ

 

Forecast for the weekend mixed clouds with a chance of skyshine,

not tinfoil hat weather, but leadfoil hat weather.

Tue, 06/14/2011 - 03:26 | 1367080 malikai
malikai's picture

The watford one is hilarious. I heard it a few months ago and had to send it to all my pals. 

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 20:46 | 1127100 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

Japan Nuclear Radiation Found In San Francisco, CA Tap Water – Levels In Rainwater 18,100% Above Drinking Water Limit

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2011/04/01/breaking-radiation-san-franc...

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 20:02 | 1127025 Buck Johnson
Buck Johnson's picture

Good website about skyshine, and if this is so then the workers are getting major radiation poisoning to themselves.

 

http://www.whiterockscience.com/moritz/aex.html

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 20:15 | 1127047 Rusty Shorts
Rusty Shorts's picture

 - you're my new hero, thanks.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 19:40 | 1126976 LongSoupLine
LongSoupLine's picture

This is a very disturbing development.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 19:29 | 1126957 bud-wiser
bud-wiser's picture

I wish they would bundle out these people hunkered down within 100 miles of the plant, and find them shelters in schools outside of that radius. Aren't there still over 300,000 people in evacuation shelters? What are they waiting for.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 19:41 | 1126982 hambone
hambone's picture

It's not like it's unheard of to pick up cities and relocate...Russia moved entire cities out of German bomber reach in WWII, China relocated cities out of 3 gorges.  Not gonna be cheap or quick and seems a process for a nation to work through the option tree before a decision of this magnitude to move 100's of thousands, rebuild cities / factories elsewhere is undertaken.  Much farmland, fishing grounds will be lost as well as the energy shortages.  So much to deal with for a government completely incapable of facing anything and a people of sheeples (wonderful people but the culture does not challenge authority).

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 19:03 | 1126906 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Pucker Factor 10

SPF 1000

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 18:53 | 1126885 New_Meat
New_Meat's picture

gammas-nvm.  Decay daughters-'nother story.

daughters? .. hm ..

- Ned

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 18:36 | 1126835 Bagbalm
Bagbalm's picture

That has to be one hell of a lot of gamma going into the sky for the backscatter radiation to even be detectable much less a hazard.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 19:07 | 1126913 Stuck on Zero
Stuck on Zero's picture

I worked at a site where we made a "slight" error and allowed a radiation source to shine toward the sky for just a few seconds.  The skyshine tripped radiation monitors at a national lab fifteen miles away.  It did not trip monitors about a hundred feet away. 

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 18:22 | 1126796 malikai
malikai's picture

That last video is pretty scary. If those are indeed the fuel rod racks it would really suck. Exposed with that big crane on top, that is.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 17:36 | 1126678 InconvenientCou...
InconvenientCounterParty's picture

the answer is blowin' in the wind.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 16:59 | 1126590 Elliott Eldrich
Elliott Eldrich's picture

Since the failure of "Operation Extension Cord", there has not been much in the way of good news out of Fukushima. Meanwhile, companies are struggling to try to get back up and running in the area. 

 

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/03/japanese-parts-paralysis-35-mil...

 

Notable comments from the article: Shipping companies are refusing to make deliveries to the area, and over 200,000 people in the vicinity have either been evacuated or are being advised to "shelter in place." This is going to make for some formidable challenges in getting this one factory back on-line. How many other factories in the area are experiencing similar problems?

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 17:06 | 1126608 ilene
ilene's picture

Hi Elliott, it would be interesting to know (I don't) how far the evacuation area should extend from the site, and what is currently in the region.   

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 18:22 | 1126784 Elliott Eldrich
Elliott Eldrich's picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chernobyl_radiation_map_1996.svg

 

Look at this map, and you'll understand the problem. The whole idea of "safe distance" is useless in a situation like this. Instead, there are going to be areas that are safe, areas that are hazardous, and areas that are flat out toxic. And it's going to be more or less random, depending on what comes out when, and which way the wind is blowing at the time. As you can see from the map of the Chernobyl region, there are places that are twenty miles away that are relatively safe, and places 150 miles away that are as hot as Pripyat. It's all random.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 21:43 | 1127191 tom a taxpayer
tom a taxpayer's picture

Elliott - Thank you for the insight and reality check illustrated by that map.

Fri, 04/01/2011 - 18:16 | 1126778 johnQpublic
johnQpublic's picture

we suggest leaving earth at your earliest opportunity

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