Hi everyone, according to a report from enenews.com, "Creep Rupture? US says No. 2 reactor core probably leaked — Implies damage even worse than previously thought April 7th, 2011 at 07:48 AM." The report explains:
Core of Stricken Reactor Probably Leaked, U.S. Says, New York Times, April 6, 2011:
The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that some of the core of [the No. 2] reactor had probably leaked from its steel pressure vessel into the bottom of the containment structure, implying that the damage was even worse than previously thought. …
If molten fuel has left the reactor's pressure vessel and reached the drywell in substantial quantities, it raises the possibility that the fuel could escape the larger containment structure, leading to a large-scale radioactive release.
A training manual developed by the companies that operate this type of reactor and dated 2009 refers to the possibility of "creep rupture," in which molten core material begins seeping through a hole in the vessel and creates a bigger hole as it works; the document says the molten core material can "ablate" a bigger hole. It can then burn through the steel at the bottom of the drywell and interact with the concrete, producing carbon monoxide and hydrogen, which could react explosively. …
Read the report here.
Bob-C
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