Home > Earthquakes, Man-Made Disasters > Nuke Engineer: Fuel Rod Fire at Fukushima Reactor “Would Be Like Chernobyl on Steroids”

Nuke Engineer: Fuel Rod Fire at Fukushima Reactor “Would Be Like Chernobyl on Steroids”

03/14/2011 Leave a comment Go to comments

“The Fukushima reactor building that exploded March 12 is one of a series of identical General Electric reactors constructed in Japan and the US. In this reactor design, the used nuclear fuel rods are stored in pools of water at the top of the reactor building. These “spent” rods are still highly radioactive: the radioactivity is so great the rods must be stored in water so they do not combust. The explosion at Fukushima Daiichi reactor unit 1 apparently destroyed at least one wall and the roof of the building: some reports stated the roof had collapsed into the building.

Two days later, the nearby building containing the plutonium-uranium (MOX) fueled Fuksuhima Daichii reactor unit 3 exploded. So why bother about the rubble of reactor No 1? The WaPo quotes a nuclear engineer who knows the answer:” Read more.

Categories: Earthquakes, Man-Made Disasters
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