tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843016047022615527.post9191182463080548041..comments2024-03-22T02:26:31.381-05:00Comments on Disaster-wise: Salt-Encrusted Fuel Rods: A growing concernJim Chileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02849843735206903837noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7843016047022615527.post-28131074600129955612011-03-25T09:55:55.123-05:002011-03-25T09:55:55.123-05:00A few days ago, Japan announced that 50 tons of se...A few days ago, Japan announced that 50 tons of seawater was pumped into one of the reactors. So, if water is not leaking away, but evaporating, then there will be a lot of salt built up.<br /><br />It's not clear yet if the radioactive water that burned 2 recovery workers in Japan was from a leak, or was from overfilling a reactor or cooling pond with water. The Chief Electrician at Chernobyl received fatal skin burns by making emergency repairs after the explosion in similarly radioactive water.<br /><br />The criticality incident potential is not well known by the public. While there's not a concentrated enough mass of either U235 or Pu239 in a reactor to get a super critical (Atomic bomb) type of explosion, like some have incorrectly claimed, a criticality incident is quite possible. <br /><br />At Chernobyl, there was concern that any water getting into the fuel slag would cause such a criticality reaction. But, it was found later on there that the sand & lead used to fight the reactor fire, as well as sand from the reactor's foundation, had dissolved into the molten uranium fuel, preventing any further fission chain reactions.Erstwildhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07951371286061402979noreply@blogger.com