4 ms·

Is it exploding, or are they doing a pressure release?

cloudwalking 16y ago
That doesn't look like a very controlled pressure release. edit: BBC says it's an explosion but article is completely devoid of details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219
- david2777 16y ago
  CNN too, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclea...
csulok 16y ago
it looks to me like a still-standing structure completely disappeared. watch the replay a couple times. there's a white building not unlike 2 other to the right, is partially covering a lightning rod. when you see the shockwave, it's no longer there, at all.
- uxp 16y ago
  This picture just appeared on Wikipedia, of which I am guessing is the building that may or may not be the one that possibly exploded. Maybe someone more knowledgable than myself can identify what the building is used for. The 2011 Sendai earthquake article says " the outer structure of reactor number 1's containment building had blown off, releasing a large cloud of dust and vapour." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011-03-12_1800_NHK_S%C5%8Dg%C5%8D_channel_news_program_screen_shot.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011-03-12_1800_NHK_S%C5%8... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsunami http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsun...
  - uvdiv 16y ago
    I have no clue what's going on (and I Am Not An Engineer), but I'm fairly sure that in this photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Fukushima_I_NPP_1975.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Fukushima... The longer, rectangular buildings on the seaside are the turbine halls, and the square buildings next to them (in the inland direction) are the containment buildings.
    - po 16y ago
      That's correct. Of the four, it's the small building on the right that is reactor number one: the one that is melting down.
  - rwmj 16y ago
    Wikipedia deletionists have already put a speedy deletion tag on that. Go Wikipedia!
  - nossralf 16y ago
    http://www.ansn-jp.org/jneslibrary/npp2.pdf http://www.ansn-jp.org/jneslibrary/npp2.pdf That PDF has a schematic of the containment building on page 4. The "MARK-I" image corresponds to the Fukushima I-1 building.
    - uvdiv 16y ago
      More detailed cutaways: http://i.imgur.com/Oj4kg.png http://i.imgur.com/Oj4kg.png http://i.imgur.com/CckjP.jpg http://i.imgur.com/CckjP.jpg from, respectively, Madgi Ragheb, UIUC https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20457%20CSE%20462%20Safety%20Analysis%20of%20Nuclear%20Reactor%20Systems/Containment%20Structures.pdf https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20457%20CSE%20462... NRC http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/03.pdf http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/03.pdf
dekz 16y ago
Well at 47 seconds in the video there is a white structure, then at 48 it's obliterated.

That doesn't look like a very controlled pressure release. edit: BBC says it's an explosion but article is completely devoid of details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219

david2777 16y ago
CNN too, http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclear/index.html?hpt=T1 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/12/japan.nuclea...

csulok 16y ago

it looks to me like a still-standing structure completely disappeared. watch the replay a couple times. there's a white building not unlike 2 other to the right, is partially covering a lightning rod. when you see the shockwave, it's no longer there, at all.

uxp 16y ago
This picture just appeared on Wikipedia, of which I am guessing is the building that may or may not be the one that possibly exploded. Maybe someone more knowledgable than myself can identify what the building is used for. The 2011 Sendai earthquake article says " the outer structure of reactor number 1's containment building had blown off, releasing a large cloud of dust and vapour." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011-03-12_1800_NHK_S%C5%8Dg%C5%8D_channel_news_program_screen_shot.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011-03-12_1800_NHK_S%C5%8... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsunami http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Sendai_earthquake_and_tsun...
- uvdiv 16y ago
  I have no clue what's going on (and I Am Not An Engineer), but I'm fairly sure that in this photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Fukushima_I_NPP_1975.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Fukushima... The longer, rectangular buildings on the seaside are the turbine halls, and the square buildings next to them (in the inland direction) are the containment buildings.
  - po 16y ago
    That's correct. Of the four, it's the small building on the right that is reactor number one: the one that is melting down.
- rwmj 16y ago
  Wikipedia deletionists have already put a speedy deletion tag on that. Go Wikipedia!
- nossralf 16y ago
  http://www.ansn-jp.org/jneslibrary/npp2.pdf http://www.ansn-jp.org/jneslibrary/npp2.pdf That PDF has a schematic of the containment building on page 4. The "MARK-I" image corresponds to the Fukushima I-1 building.
  - uvdiv 16y ago
    More detailed cutaways: http://i.imgur.com/Oj4kg.png http://i.imgur.com/Oj4kg.png http://i.imgur.com/CckjP.jpg http://i.imgur.com/CckjP.jpg from, respectively, Madgi Ragheb, UIUC https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20457%20CSE%20462%20Safety%20Analysis%20of%20Nuclear%20Reactor%20Systems/Containment%20Structures.pdf https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/mragheb/www/NPRE%20457%20CSE%20462... NRC http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/03.pdf http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/teachers/03.pdf

dekz 16y ago

Well at 47 seconds in the video there is a white structure, then at 48 it's obliterated.