Japanese reactor crisis

AtLast · 03-20-2011, 04:12 PM

My next door neighbor is a retired structural engineer (not nuclear) from PG&E (retired about a year after 35 years). Handy guy to have around. Anyway, he has worked on several nuclear reactors through the years and has been to Japan to see their reactors and attend conferences, etc. in his field while doing structural work on CA reactors. His areas of expertise are in metallurgy compounds and elemental structures (yup, sometimes, i just listen with my mouth open).

I ran into him this AM and asked him quite a few things, but the convo about how good it is that power is being returned to the plants and ER workers was interesting. he said if even some of the intrumentation in the plant control centers is working or can be fixed, so many of our questions could answered in terms of the actual damage inside the reactors- the containment vessels, especially. They have cameras throughout them. Other data could also finally be collected that can't be without the electrical systems working.

Then, TEPCO would have so much more info to put plans together- well, as long as the cooling continues to work.

He had lots to say about how newer plants designed after these (built in 1979) plants went online had many, many changes in those designs as well as how they are built- right down to cement mixing and rebar!! Obviously, the spent fuel arrangement at the Japan plants would not be done in the same way any longer.

Interesting conversation- Frank is super as a neighbor- has given me lots of tips for landcape and deck projects, plus helped me with getting my house's foundation (1940 bungalow) retro-fitted for earthquakes here in the SF Bay area.

just thought I'd share this. Aj has more of the goods on radiation- and Linus posted a chart. Thank!

03-20-2011, 04:12 PM	#22
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,199 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	My next door neighbor is a retired structural engineer (not nuclear) from PG&E (retired about a year after 35 years). Handy guy to have around. Anyway, he has worked on several nuclear reactors through the years and has been to Japan to see their reactors and attend conferences, etc. in his field while doing structural work on CA reactors. His areas of expertise are in metallurgy compounds and elemental structures (yup, sometimes, i just listen with my mouth open). I ran into him this AM and asked him quite a few things, but the convo about how good it is that power is being returned to the plants and ER workers was interesting. he said if even some of the intrumentation in the plant control centers is working or can be fixed, so many of our questions could answered in terms of the actual damage inside the reactors- the containment vessels, especially. They have cameras throughout them. Other data could also finally be collected that can't be without the electrical systems working. Then, TEPCO would have so much more info to put plans together- well, as long as the cooling continues to work. He had lots to say about how newer plants designed after these (built in 1979) plants went online had many, many changes in those designs as well as how they are built- right down to cement mixing and rebar!! Obviously, the spent fuel arrangement at the Japan plants would not be done in the same way any longer. Interesting conversation- Frank is super as a neighbor- has given me lots of tips for landcape and deck projects, plus helped me with getting my house's foundation (1940 bungalow) retro-fitted for earthquakes here in the SF Bay area. just thought I'd share this. Aj has more of the goods on radiation- and Linus posted a chart. Thank!