The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #136314   Message #3113056
Posted By: Charley Noble
13-Mar-11 - 04:15 PM
Thread Name: BS: Japan Nuclear plant disaster, 2011
Subject: RE: BS: Nuclear plant disaster looming
Peter-

Thanks for posting the link to the company press release.

One detail is particularly disquieting to me:

"We are currently coordinating with the relevant authorities and
departments as to how to secure the cooling water to cool down
the water in the spent nuclear fuel pool."

The "spent fuel pool" is as I've mentioned above where they keep the highly radioactive "spent" fuel rods in storage after they are no longer useful as fuel for the reactor. They still need to be kept cool which is why they are submerged in the pool. If there is a loss of coolant supply to the pool, there is a risk of a catastrophic release of radiative isotopes from there. There is typically no containment provided or required for a spent fuel pool. There was once an incident in the States where the level of water in the spent fuel pool dropped nine feet before someone noticed what was happening; the problem was then corrected but everyone had a good scare.

Charley Noble